Truths
by Kdibs227
Summary: A larger continuation of stories from "One Hundred Truths". Update: Number 100: Happy Ending
1. Number 5 Boys vs Female Hormones

Number 5

Robin wasn't hiding. No he was merely staying, unseen, in the safety of the laundry room until whatever fresh hell had decided to descend on the Tower left. He wasn't sure where his two other male friends where, but he wasn't about to risk going back out into the open to find them.

Not when he could be running into one of the girls turned she-devil.

Yesterday Raven and Starfire had been fine. This morning they had screamed at anything and nothing, and if the boys were around, then all the screaming was directed at them. Cyborg had since then taken the liberty of holing himself away in the garage, and Robin could only assume that Beast Boy was with him.

He _hoped_.

But at least Beast Boy had a quicker chance of getting away if he ran into one of the girls. Cyborg and he were screwed if they managed to collide. Running could only get you so far when both girls could fly. His Comm pinged, and Robin flipped it open to check who it was.

Cyborg's message was scrambled. There were a few words, like _cry, hearing, _and _soda_. Robin could only assume that Cyborg had been caught. He sighed and shifted to make himself more comfortable on the concrete. He wasn't sure how much time had passed until he was joined by one of his friends.

Beast Boy had more or less appeared out of thin air, and with shifting it was easy to do, but he double checked to make sure the door was locked, before thinking better of it and moved one of the heavier chairs under the doorknob.

He walked over to where Robin was sitting and sat himself down next to the "fearless leader".

"So, I'm guessing you got caught?" Robin asked as nonchalantly as he could. A spider was climbing up one of the washing machines and Robin continued to watch, since this was the safest entertainment he would be getting today.

"No, I decided to move after Starfire walked by twice. And there was _no way_ I was going to risk being found by Raven." Beast Boy looked like a soldier who had just seen something horrible. Robin snorted and stretched out his legs so they wouldn't go numb.

They had all been dense before. Having never lived with female counterparts before, the three of them didn't know what to expect, and when the "event" happened, it was safe to say that no one knew what to do. It wasn't until Raven had had enough and screamed that she was on her period and stormed off, breaking several plates as she went.

Well, Robin and Cyborg had no clue when it happened, and Robin pitied Beast Boy. Blood had a distinct smell, and Beast Boy had sharper senses than most. Animal sense or not, if he could detect when _that time of the month was_…well. When they had first found out Robin had no clue his younger friend could blush that hard.

"I think we lost Cyborg," Robin said. Beast Boy groaned and moved so he was lying on the floor. Robin drummed his fingers on his leg, trying to think of something to do. They could make a break for the garage and spend the day in the city, but without knowing where the girls were they wouldn't know if they were walking into a war zone until it was too late.

Several more minutes passed until they heard a timid knock on the door. Robin froze, and glanced at his friend next to him. Beast Boy was rigid, but he nodded. All clear. Robin got up, quickly, and move the chair. After ushering their newest cellmate in, he locked the door and returned the chair to its rightful place under the doorknob.

"So, what happened?" Beast Boy asked. Cyborg sighed and shook his head.

"A word of advice: no soda is ever worth it." Robin raised an eyebrow and Beast Boy looked confused, but Cyborg continued.

"I got reamed out by both of them," and all three boys shuddered at that though, "and was told if I ever took the last soda again, they would…remove…and very important piece of anatomy."

And the last puzzle piece fell into place and all three boys cringed.

The remainder of the day was spent in the laundry room. The rest of the week was spent alternating between their own rooms and places on the mainland.

And thanks to the threat made against their male anatomy, the fridge was always stocked with soda.

Author's Note: Hey there! So, several people reviewed in One Hundred Truths that I should continue on with the stories. So I've decided to expand on the number and turn them into little stories, instead of sentences. They will be out of order, but each of them will be done eventually. You can tell me if there is a specific one that should be done, and I'll try to do it. So, until then: read, enjoy, and review my little minions!


	2. Number 8 Dream Watcher Raven

Number 8

The first time Raven checked in on her teammates while they were sleeping was a complete accident. While Raven understood her powers, there were some areas where she wasn't so sure what her limits were. That being said, she had no idea that she could be sleeping peacefully and suddenly be thrust into one of her friends dreams.

After the first time happened, Raven couldn't look her friends in the eyes; she wasn't sure whose dream she had invaded but she felt she had crossed some sort of line. It had taken many weeks of reading and research, plus hours of mediation, before Raven decided to put her new skill to use.

She started out slow.

Sometimes she would ask how her friends were sleeping. See which of her friends were suffering from a round of nightmares and then she would help. She would be sleeping and feel a slight pull. That was the first sign of being pulled into someone's dream; the second and final sign would be a sensation of falling. After the dream was finished, Raven often woke up in a cold sweat.

She also began to notice a pattern within her friends.

Cyborg and Starfire suffered from nightmares but they only happened a handful of times a month. Only highly stressful days or weeks would trigger particularly horrible and frequent nightmares. Robin and Beast Boy, on the other hand, suffered from nightmares more often. Those two never failed to have her sitting up in her bed some nights, covered in sweat with tears running down her face from memories that weren't hers.

Raven never told her friends what she did. During the nightmares she would send calming waves out of them, and sometimes she had to pull them out of the dream when she sensed heavy waves of fear and stress.

Those were the nights that she stayed up way past what was healthy. Those were the times that she went out of her way to make sure her friends were okay. She would spend that extra hour at the mall with Starfire. She would spend three hours in the T-Car with Cyborg to pick up another gadget for his car. She would play multiple rounds of chess with Robin and spend the afternoon with Beast Boy on the shore.

Raven may had been alone in her nightmares before, but she would be damned if she left her friends alone to deal with their monsters.

**Author's** **Note:**So...I guess it's time to come back from the rock I've been living under. I got a message last night from Thewhatzupwriter26 to do some stories and I said sure! Now that school is over and I have my summer job back, I can start cranking out stories. So, read and review people. Don't be afraid to send me some requests :)


	3. Number 26 Why Beast Boy hates Doctors

Number 26

From across the room, Cyborg gave a slight nod of the head and Robin raised his head in conformation, moving swiftly across the common room floor and out the sliding doors. From their spots on the couch, Raven and Beast Boy were still deeply engaged in whatever conversation they were having (something about batteries and pine trees…whatever) and Cyborg maintained a steady eye on them as he continued to fiddle with the microwave. This was the third time this month that he had to fix it; stupid boy wonder couldn't even figure out how to work a microwave, if only the villains they fought knew.

For the past week the four of them had kept it very quiet, mostly since they wanted to reduce the amount of time spent trying to drag their friend to the med bay. It was time for annual physicals, and while the others had gotten theirs done, Beast Boy hadn't.

Cyborg cursed to a number of unnamed, faceless people in his head for putting him in this situation.

The problem wasn't telling Beast Boy that he needed a physical; no, their friend understood that part just fine. But just because he understood it didn't mean he had to like it, and his shape shifting friend made that very clear.

Doctors were a touchy subject with Beast Boy. None of them really knew why, although there were some very interesting theories, and when asked about Beast Boy would always find a way to change the subject. It had taken the better part of three years of asking, both patient and demanding, to get him to reveal that his first unpleasant encounter with the medical world resulted in him getting his powers.

Now, though, they had gotten smarter and had learned to see the patterns among their friend. Laughing, smiling, and eye rolling were good signs. Biting a lip, drumming fingers on a leg or bed, mumbling or avoiding eye contact was a very bad sign. In the privacy of the med bay, Cyborg had told his friend that he could have a safe word; something that would tip off the android that things needed to stop for a moment. At first Beast Boy didn't go for it, but finally agreed to his older friend.

Sometimes though, there were really bad days. Days where they were either calmly waking with their fiend to the med bay, and days where they were pretty much dragging him there. Robin still had a nice scar from where he had been kicked by Beast Boy when he had tried to pick him up bridal style.

Which was why they now had a system: there were two teams. Raven and he would be in the actual room for the exam, while Starfire and Robin would be waiting in case they needed to make a run for it. And there had been times where they needed to run after their friend.

But now that they knew what to expect and they planned ahead. Everything Cyborg needed was already laid out (but out of sight for the time being) and he had all the talking points mapped out in his head.

Robin was waiting for him when he finally made his way up to the med bay. For all purposes the boy wonder looked relaxed, but it took being around the teen for several years to spot that he was nervous. Robin never liked to pull one over on his teammates, at least not in this sort of situation. And he always felt bad when he had to drag their green friend back if he ran.

Cyborg just hoped that this would be a good day.

Two and a half hours later, Cyborg was going as fast as he could while being accurate, talking to his little buddy about anything that popped into his head; the new Wicked Scary movie coming up (Raven told Beast Boy there was no way in hell she was going), to the latest exhibit opened in Copper City.

Finally everything was finished, the paperwork filed away never to be seen again (at least until next year). Raven and Beast Boy were already close to the door, but his friend turned around and flashed him that damn smile and suddenly a weight that Cyborg didn't even realize was there was lifted off of him.

As Cyborg went to sleep that night he wondered if maybe all future doctor visits could be like this…calm, no stress, no running away.

Maybe someday there wouldn't be a reason for his little buddy to be so scared of the medical world.


	4. Number 58 The Squirrel

Number 58

No one was sure how the squirrel had gotten in. Starfire and Cyborg's best guess was that there had been an open window somewhere, but that didn't account for how the creature had gotten on the island. Robin and Raven, on the other hand, thought that Beast Boy had arranged it so that he was causing trouble even when he wasn't on the base. Recently there had been trouble under seas, and since both the teen titans and titans east couldn't help without taking submarines, Aqualad said it would be easier, and stealthier, if only Beast Boy accompanied him. It seemed reasonable since their green friend was the only other person that could keep up with ease and quickly change gears if the situation needed it.

But the bottom line, at the moment, was that somehow Beast Boy was still figuring out ways to make Robin want to tear his hair out. Even a hundred feet under water, miles away from the tower, he was still causing trouble.

They hadn't noticed that the animal had snuck in until the main frames had started to freeze, then shorted out. Almost instantly Cyborg began to run scans, thinking that the computer systems were being hacked, but was instantly puzzled when he saw that wasn't the case.

He and Robin had then gone to the basement, keeping close because the rows of boxes made it hard to move, not because of the whole Wicked Scary incident, and found the main fuse box quickly.

Which is when they saw the squirrel.

Specifically the squirrel gnawing at the wires.

Cyborg and Robin gently moved forward, speaking in tones that masked calm for extreme irritation.

"Hey, little guy," Cyborg said, slowly inching his body closer. "It's okay, we aren't going to hurt you…much. Just got to get you away from those wires before I got even more repair time to deal with."

Robin wasn't much for words, but he moved his hand slowly to wear he kept his netting gear. They both had sworn long again that they wouldn't harm any animals, but right now they didn't have their translator with them, so Robin was just going to go the old fashion way of catching their unwelcome guest.

"On my count," Robin said softly. The squirrel stared at both of them, one paw clutching a wire, and slowly crouched down.

"One…"

Robin moved his hand over the button of the pouch, ready to spring the net.

"Two…"

Cyborg bent his knees, arms ready as if to receive a football pass, eyes never breaking contact with their furry guest.

"Three!" Robin said.

There was a flurry of movement. Robin had released the net, but the squirrel dove, ducking under Robin's legs, instead of heading towards Cyborg. Cyborg, of course, went to go grab the animal, but missed and ended up in the path of the net. He went down with a bang, taking Robin with him when one of his arms took the boy wonders legs out.

The squirrel darted up the stairs without a backwards glance.

* * *

Aqualad and Beast Boy were currently thirty miles north when the call came in. The two boys had been talking about their next move, while the Atlantean showed him a holographic map that he had been creating while the pair had been scouting. The murmur of voices was cut off as the sharp sound of Beast Boy's communicator going off. It wasn't an alert for trouble, but a page from another titan. The two boys exchanged glances and shrugged.

Beast Boy unclipped it from his belt and answered the call. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he didn't expect to see his team leader so frazzled.

"Please tell me you aren't doing anything right now," Robin said, his voice strained like he had been running. Beast Boy shook his head while Aqualad gave him a questioning look.

"No, we were just figuring out where we had to go next, why what's happened?" Beast Boy asked. Maybe Robin had meant to call an alert but hit the wrong button. That seemed highly unlikely, since both he and Aqualad weren't put on first response, but because Robin didn't make silly mistakes like that.

"Okay, I want you to listen, and not say anything until I'm done, deal?" Robin said, breathing through his nose as if he was preparing for some sort of pep talk. Beast Boy was not liking where this was going.

"A squirrel got into the tower, we aren't sure how. But it chewed through the wires for the main frame, and when Cyborg and I went to catch it he got tangled in the net and took my legs out. The animal got away, where it managed to scare Starfire and make her shoot star bolts in the hallway, which caused a mini fire on the carpet, which set off the sprinklers on that floor. Raven almost blew up the kitchen since it ran under her cloak, causing her to drop her mug and ruin her book. Now we have the thing cornered in an air vent, Cyborg blocked it off so it can't go anywhere, and we would _really, really_ appreciate it if you could help get this…creature, out of the tower."

Robin panted as he caught his breath. Beast Boy blinked several times, and looked up to see Aqualad hunched over a rock as he fought to hold in his laughter. Beast Boy looked back at the screen. Robin looked like he had just spent the day fighting Slade bots instead of trying to catch a squirrel.

Evidently the training Batman gave his friend didn't take into account trespassing mammals.

"A squirrel." Beast Boy stated.

Robin nodded.

"A squirrel got into the tower and you can't catch it?" Beast Boy asked. Robin blew air out of his nose.

"No, we couldn't. If we could, I doubt we would be having this conversation Beast Boy."

Beast Boy blinked several times before bursting into a fit of laughter. It took several minutes to calm down, but when he looked back at the screen, Robin was smiling a little. Wiping his eyes with the cuff of his gloves Beast Boy leaned against the cave wall as he began to help his friends.

Who would have thought that the mighty titans would be outsmarted by a squirrel?


	5. Number 73 Christmas Lights

Number 73

Dressed in his traditional winter garb, Robin fought the urge to burst out laughing while ranting about being senseless idiots. But his trademark smirk was plastered to his face as he gazed at the spectacle in front of him. Winter had finally come to Jump City, and while it wasn't snowing the temperature had been steadily dropping. It had gotten cold enough where Starfire had started bringing out her long sleeve shirts and Raven and Robin had told Beast Boy that he couldn't go swimming anymore until it started to warm up again.

The lights on the outside of the tower were the last things left to do to get ready for the holidays. Cyborg had a habit of not trusting anyone else with the electrical stuff of their home and he always had Beast Boy help him. In this case it was a blessing, and a curse, Robin thought was a small chuckle, and nearly always resulted in the same outcome every year.

"So, what did you do this time?" Robin said as he walked over to help his younger teammate out of the Christmas lights turned deathtrap.

"I didn't do anything!" Cyborg protested from his spot near the wall.

"Right, and the lights just came alive by themselves?" Robin asked and he finally got Beast Boy's arm. From below his knees the changeling snorted.

"Yeah right," he huffed, "go higher with the lights. Next thing I know I'm in the air, the next I'm two feet from the ground."

Smiling, the leader spent the next twenty minutes working to get his teammate free, the next ten getting the lights in order again, and just to be safe he decided to stay outside to supervise/help with the rest of the decorating.

Sometimes the boy wonder really wondered if his other male friends planned this every Christmas just to spite him.

**Author's Note: I know this isn't really long or even close to the other works. I've just gotten over a really bad infection and just moved back into my dorm at college. On top of that I'm running cross country. But I figured that I would post something today and work on another snippet and make that one really awesome. So, read and review please :)**


	6. Number 47 Nail Painting with Robin

Number 47

"So, what happened today?" Robin asked as he sat down on Starfire's bed and watched her gathered several objects out of her desk drawer. The red head shrugged and floated back towards the team leader, looking down as she began to unlace her shoes.

"Nothing happened today, friend Robin." Starfire said as she began to paint her toenails in a bright pink color. There was a clear bottle of nail polish lying on the pillow. Robin drummed his fingers on the bed spread.

"Really? You weren't that happy today at breakfast? And you didn't eat much at lunch either," Robin said. Starfire sighed.

"The tower has simply been…odd…the past few days," Starfire replied as she moved on to her other foot.

Robin nodded. The tower had been off a bit; Cyborg had been helping Titans West set up over video chat and Raven and Beast Boy were clearly in an argument again, but no one knew what it was over since it hadn't taken any of its usual traits.

Silence was present for several minutes until the fearless leader decided to break it.

"Um, you could do mine if you want," Robin said. Starfire looked up, her eyes crinkling in the way he loved so much.

"Do your what, Robin?" Starfire asked capping the top on the bottle of polish.

"Nails, you could paint mine, but clear polish, please?" Robin stumbled. Starfire smiled, a true smile, for the first time all day.

**Author's Note: I know it's not long, school has been kicking my ass, but the next one will be longer. Read and review please!**


	7. Number 62 Mustard-phobic Robin

Number 62

To say that Robin was in his own personal hell, well maybe not hell, was an understatement. There were vendors everywhere, people everywhere, and even though he wasn't in his usual wear he still felt he was sticking out like a sore thumb. Starfire was several feet ahead of him, taking a sample from each booth, and with each swallow his alien girlfriend consumed a little part of Robin cringed. It wasn't that he didn't like mustard, it was just that he never could get used to the taste or texture.

The last time he had tried it was way back in the beginning of the team when both he and Beast Boy had protested their various food dislikes. It was one of the few things they agreed on at the time, and even now Robin still got nauseous whenever he had to eat near it.

But Starfire had begged and pleaded to go to the festival. She had asked, then nudged, then did those darn puppy eyes and Robin was gone. But they had been here for three hours, going on four, and Robin was more than ready to go home.

While Star flew ahead to get to the last vendors in the street they were on, Robin stole away to call in reinforcements. Raven was the first call, and when she answered Robin knew he had to pull out the big guns.

"Hey, Raven-," He began, but the cloaked girl cut him off.

"No. Whatever you think you can do, no." Raven said dryly. Robin scowled.

"You don't even know what I'm going to say," Robin protested. He could tell that his friend was rolling her eyes.

"I do, and no amount of bribery will convince me to help you. You may get lucky with the boys, but I'm not going to be the reason Starfire is sulking for the next week. Not when we just got new curtains." And with that Raven disconnected the call.

Robin fought the urge to stamp his foot but he took a deep breath and moved on to his next person.

If anything, Beast Boy wouldn't be that hard to twist to get out of this. The younger boy was always bending for his friends and was the second person after him that Star could manipulate to her own plans.

"Hey, Rob." Beast Boy said over the communicator. Robin sighed in relief.

"I will get you a month's worth of art supplies if you come get me. You could use whatever tactic you want." Robin said, nearly stumbling over his words. He could hear Beast Boy laugh over the speaker.

"No deal, man. Rae was just in hear and I'm not going to go through another month of how much Starfire is mad at you. I'm sure you could last a few more hours." This time Robin hung up and grit his teeth. He had hoped he wouldn't have had to ask, or stoop to begging on this part, but he was out of options.

"Hey there, boy wonder. Trouble in paradise?" Cyborg chirped over the speaker. In the background he could hear some sort of rap playing.

"Name your price. I couldn't get Raven or Beast Boy." Robin said as he cringed internally as some couple walked by with a mound of some unknown food covered in a bright orange colored mustard.

"Well, it's going to be steep," Cyborg started. Robin tapped his foot.

"I know," Robin said.

"I can pick the limits and set the scenario?" The android asked cheerfully.

Robin fought the urge to have a tantrum in the middle of the ally.

"Yes, do whatever just get here, please? If I have to walk by another booth I'm going to tear my hair out."

Cyborg laughed and by the end of the call Robin owed his older friend twenty bucks and some new parts for the T-Car. He was currently leaning on the wall when his girlfriend came over.

"Robin there is a wonderful band around the corner. May we go and do the dancing together?" Starfire asked. Robin smiled, and agreed, and almost stumbled over the curb when he was pulled back.

A pair of lips met his and for a minute he was floating…and all those little frustrations he was having at this festival disappeared. Starfire was beaming when they pulled away and he was sure he had that drowsy smile on his face.

"So, may we go dance together, boyfriend Robin?" And she pulled those puppy dog eyes out.

Robin could only nod and was soon lost in the music with her.

**Author's Note: Wow, I've been doing a lot of Robin and Starfire lately. I actually got some time to make this one a little longer than the others and soon I'll post some BB/Rae. So, enjoy this little story and read and review!**


	8. Number 18 Pillow Forts

Number 18

Contrary to popular belief, Beast Boy wasn't as heavy a sleeper as his friends thought. Every sound, every little noise, he could hear and you try to sleep heavy when you could hear all the water moving through the pipes and every single breath that his friends took. Usually he was reassured by the second noise, but the others were annoying and often left him in a very light sleep. So when he heard someone walking down to his end of the hall, his eyes snapped open and his was on his feet when someone knocked on his door.

He could tell it was Starfire even before he punched the access code into his panel. The smell of strawberries and mustard were lingering, but he identified his friends in times like these by their heartbeats. Starfire's was always a bit faster than the others. His friend was standing in front of his door, arms wrapped around her stomach, looking at the floor.

"Starfire?" Beast Boy asked carefully. There were no tears, which was a good sign, but he had no clue what kind of mood the girl was in. Starfire rubbed her arm and glanced at him.

"Can we build a fort?" She asked. Almost instantly Beast Boy knew what happened. While the whole team suffered nightmares, there were times where his and Starfire's nightmares were similar. So they had their own code for it and they handled it differently, too.

"Come on, I think the closet still has the blankets from last time," Beast Boy said as they made their way down the hall. Within minutes they each had an armful of blankets and quilts and were in the elevator heading towards the common room. The room was pretty dark, well not so much for him since his eyes instantly adjusted, and Robin had left the stove light on. He placed his load on the table and hit the overhead lights. Starfire drifted towards the area of space between the TV and couches. While the red head began to move the chairs over, Beast Boy began to make them each a mug of hot chocolate. Another ritual they had during nights like this. Rita had done it for him, and it worked well with Starfire.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked as he helped carry over some of the blankets. Starfire stopped moving for a minute before shaking her head.

"No," she said, then sighed, "It was not one that I could remember clearly. It just frightened me and when I awoke I forgot where I was." The Tameranian sounded like she was close to tears and Beast Boy squeezed her hand.

"Ya, those are the worst sometimes," he replied softly. Starfire held on for a moment then resumed constructing their fort. Several minutes later they were sitting in a large fort with their mugs. They didn't speak, not until Starfire broke the silence.

"Have you ever forgotten that you are not there after a dream?" Starfire asked. Beast Boy sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them the girl noticed they were darker than before.

"Ya, it happened a lot when I was with the Doom Patrol. It scared Rita a lot," he said, remembering all the times it took hours for him to calm down. Those nights neither Rita nor Cliff went far. Starfire nodded and took a sip out of her mug.

"What helped you with it? The waking up part?" Starfire asked moving to lean her shoulder against his. Beast Boy crossed his legs.

"It sounds silly, but Rita got me a stuffed animal," he replied. Starfire glanced at him.

"What did it look like?" she asked. Beast Boy smiled at bit. Even today both he and Starfire were as pleased with a plush as when they had gotten their first one.

"It was a tiger, I had just started to work on changing into the bigger cats," Beast Boy told her. "I called it Skip for some reason." He said with a laugh.

Starfire giggled beside him and they fell into silence for a moment.

"Do you still have Skip?" Starfire asked. Beast Boy nodded.

"Ya, but I only get him out when it's been a really bad night," Beast Boy answered.

"Perhaps we may journey to the mall of shopping to find a Skip of my own tomorrow?" Starfire asked. Beast Boy agreed instantly. They finished their drinks soon after that and began to curl up in the left over blankets.

Starfire's head was next to his and they were soon playing a quiet game of poking. Eventually they began to tire and fell asleep, close to each other and nightmare free. And when the rest of the team found them in the morning, they pulled back the flap of the fort and found their friends sleeping peacefully.

**Author's note: Hey guys! So this was one I've really wanted to do. I really like the idea of these two going to each other after nightmares. Plus Skip is the name of my favorite stuffed animal. I even brought him to college with me. So hope you guys enjoyed and don't forget to read and review!**


	9. Number 7 Musings of a regretful Robin

Number 7

They were laughing again. Robin had been trying to focus on the files in front of him for a long time. There hadn't been any calls in a while, and since they had nothing else to do, Robin had decided that now was a good time to start chipping away at the ever growing paper stack. It seemed like a good goal, until he walked into the common room. Cyborg and Beast Boy had been laughing about something, it was anyone's guess as to what it was this time. The topics were endless with those two. Setting up the coffee maker to make a fresh pot, Robin listened and tried to ignore the knot in his stomach.

It had been weeks since the werebeast episode, and while things were once again running smoothly in the tower, Robin had no clue how to fix the bridge he ruined with his youngest teammate. There was nothing wrong with Beast Boy's contribution to the team, he was still helpful on missions, and put in his effort during training, but other than that the changeling tended to keep his interaction limited with the boy wonder. Robin knew he wasn't the best at talking things out on a personal level, but this was something that needed to be fixed before it began to fester.

And it looked like it was already too late. Beast Boy had been distancing himself lately from the older boy. It was subtle at first, like turning down an offer to train alone, which they had always done. Thursday were the day where everyone was out of the tower and he and Beast Boy tended to spar against each other. But those little meetings had stopped. Robin knew it was to be expected, but he didn't like it, and had no one to blame but himself.

The second tip off was more obvious. Sitting on the opposite side of the couch during movie night. Walking next to Cyborg instead of in the middle like he used to. Robin hated himself for making it seem like his friend couldn't relax around him, but the few weeks since the confrontation in the sewer had brought to light a few things that Robin knew needed to change before he could start mending the bridge between him and his teammate. The first, and probably hardest thing he had to do, was apologize. Robin knew that this would require him to step out of his comfort zone.

Robin was very composed and reserved. Beast Boy was open and eager. There were times that Robin resented him for how easily Beast Boy could express how he was feeling. But he knew the only way to covey how sorry he was feeling was to lay his emotions on the table. A risky move, but one he understood needed to happen if they were to move forward.

The second was to reach out a bit more. Cyborg was Beast Boy's best friend. There was no denying that. There were countless stories, jokes, and secrets between the two. But after Cyborg, it was probably Raven who knew Beast Boy best. Hell, even Starfire had a better understanding of how their resident changeling worked. So Robin was going to make an effort to get to know his friend better.

A laugh and a thud brought Robin out of his thoughts. Cyborg was on his knees, shoulders shaking from laughing so hard. Beast Boy was laughing, one hand bracing the arm of the couch and the other arm wrapped around his stomach.

A small smile formed on his face. Turning around the pour his coffee, Robin wondered if he and Beast Boy would ever be like that. The tight knot in his stomach relaxed a bit at the thought, but the more realistic part of his brain said that getting there was going to be a long, hard road. Taking one more glance at the two titan boys, still laughing at god knows what, Robin decided that it was time for him to change.

And, hopefully, a certain green changeling would be open to changing with him.

* * *

Author's Note: I'm alive and free! My fall semester is over and now I can finally start posting again. This one is just something to get my mind going. So, read and review people. Also...11 days till Christmas!


	10. Number 13 Raven doesn't do spiders

Number 13

She spotted it when she went to shower. The unwelcome guest was sitting in the corner of the shower, as if it owned the place, not caring that its presence was not wanted. Raven hated spiders. So with a sigh, she turned around and walked (notice walked, not run), back to her room. Then she went in search of Beast Boy. Last time she had checked he was in the common room with Cyborg.

The green boy was sitting next to the metal man, trying to beat him at one of their endless racing games. Robin was sitting at the table, coffee and paper not far from his reach. He gave a small wave when she passed him, and she returned it with a nod of her head. She found an empty cup in the cabinet and walked over to the couch.

The boys had just finished, Cyborg once again the winner, and Raven held out the cup to Beast Boy.

"Hey, Rae," Beast Boy said.

"Third floor bathroom, in the shower," Raven informed him, "And it's Raven."

Beast Boy only laughed and took the offered cup before going in search of the bug. After a moment, Raven followed him. Beast Boy didn't have any issues with spiders. In fact, he was the only one in the tower that didn't mind getting bugs out of the tower.

Hence why he was the one to find when there was a spider or bee in the house. However, if it was a wasp someone was on standby ready to get the stinger out if need be. Reaching the bathroom, Beast Boy easily spotted the spider.

With ease, he held the cup below the creature, and with a gentle push of his hand, the spider crawled into the cup. He glanced at it before smiling.

"Did you know that there are over 7,000 different types of daddy long legs?" Beast Boy said excitedly. Raven shook her head, turning to follow him out of the bathroom.

Beast Boy always offered her a new fact about the bugs in the tower. It made her wonder just how much information on the animals he changed into was stored into his head. Cyborg had once told her that he never bothered with going to books for information, Beast Boy was quicker and often went more in depth then a book could ever go.

As they neared the roof, he looked at her.

"You want to set him loose?" Beast Boy asked. Raven swallowed, then declined. Beast Boy shrugged. He tipped the cup into his hand and set the spider in his palm down on the ground.

With a smile he handed her back the cup.

"There, no harm done." Beast Boy said. Raven thanked him, and watched him go back into the tower with a small smile.

Perhaps next time she would be the one to set the spider free.

* * *

Author's Note: Hello minions. I'm going to try and get as many of these done as possible before I have to go back to school. Read and Review :) also...10 days till Christmas!


	11. Number 27 Evil Microwave

Number 27

Robin took a deep breath, let it out through his nose, and imaged himself destroying the infernal contraption in front of him. The microwave sat innocently on the counter, not a care in the world, not giving a damn that it was making the boy wonder look like a fool to his friends. Robin could hunt down criminals, out fight anyone, and think of witty catch phrases (he wasn't listening to Cyborg and Beast Boy when they told him all of the phrases sucked). But he couldn't figure out how to get a stupid, metal microwave to work for him for one god darn second.

He was starving. All of them had been doing patrols and answering calls. Starfire and Raven were heading back to the tower, Cyborg was wiping down the T-Car after its meeting with Plasmas, and Beast Boy had stomped in, soaked to the bone, from tracking down several street thugs and in no mood to do anything other than shower. So Robin figured he could be useful and heat up the Chinese leftovers, but the aggravating contraption before him had decided to flip him off and not work. Robin, boy wonder, only teen on earth getting his ass whooped by a microwave.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

"What are you doing?" Beast Boy asked as he walked into the kitchen. The smaller boy's hair was still damp and Robin could see several scratches on Beast Boy's face. Clearly the changeling had to go through the woods at some point. Robin turned back to the microwave.

"It won't start," he growled out. He imagined himself swinging his bat-stick at the appliance. Multiple times, in fact. Beast Boy sighed and pushed Robin off to the side. Reaching for the Chinese container, the boy opened the door, placed the food inside, and shut the door. He turned back to the leader.

"Following along, sir?" Beast Boy said with a grin. Robin glared but nudged his friends shoulder.

"Don't worry, I think I can keep up," Robin said with a small smile. Beast Boy punched in the time and they watched at the inside of the microwave lit up and heated the food. When it was done, Beast Boy replaced the heated container with one from the fridge.

"Okay, now you try," Beast Boy said. Robin took the food and repeated the process.

And, once again, Robin was outsmarted by a kitchen device. Smoke started to pour out from inside the microwave and Beast Boy ducked just in time or he would have been hit by a smoking Chinese takeout container. Robin coughed and helped his teammate up before turning to fan away the smoke.

And, of course, the rest of his team would walk in.

"What did you do?" Cyborg asked. Beside him, Beast Boy sighed.

"Boy wonder tried to beat the microwave again," he said. Hanging his head, Robin saw Raven walk over to the fridge. Picking up a pen from the table, she added another tally on a red post-it note. Frowning heavily, Robin decided that the best plan for dinner tonight would be to order in. As he picked up the take out menu, he glared at the score.

Microwave: 11

Robin: 0

Stupid, kitchen appliance.

* * *

Author's Note: Hello minions :) Read and review! 9 days till Christmas!


	12. Number 35 Nightmare Rituals I

Number 35

Cyborg wasn't sure what had woken him up. His attention was focused on the increase of weight on his chest. Opening his eyes and glancing down, Cyborg saw a ball of green fuzz curled up into a ball on his chest plate. Cyborg sighed and moved to sit up, causing the cat to stir and slide into the space between the boys legs. Straddling the charging table, Cyborg watched the cat turn back into his little buddy. Beast Boy wouldn't meet his eyes.

This hadn't been the first, or last, time Beast Boy had visited him in the middle of the night. Nightmares were common for them, but they varied in intensity. Beast Boy's seemed to be right up there with Robin's, though the younger boy never once mentioned what they were about. Raven probably knew, but the empath didn't say anything, making the two boys wonder just how much Raven knew. Beast Boy sighed and moved to sit indian style in front of him.

"Another nightmare?" Cyborg asked softly. Beast Boy nodded but wouldn't meet his eyes. It had taken a while for his best friend to feel comfortable enough to come for help after a bad dream. Cyborg had a theory that his friend's former team had something to do with it.

"Hold on," Cyborg said, moving to get the blanket from the drawer nearest him. While he didn't get cold, his buddy got cold easily.

Laying back down, he pulled Beast Boy down onto his chest. Using one hand, he ran his fingers through the green locks, stopping more than once to rub against the spot behind the boy's ear. That always seemed to help calm down his friend. The other hand draped the blanket over the two of them.

Slowly the smaller boy drifted back off to sleep and Cyborg kept his vigil until morning.

* * *

"Are you comfortable, Robin?" Starfire asked again. In front of her Robin smiled and kissed her nose.

"I'm comfortable Starfire," Robin assured her, snuggling up closer to her in the bed. Robin was ecstatic that his girlfriend trusted him enough with this. For so long the others knew that Beast Boy and Starfire shared comfort from nightmares, and while the relationship between Raven and Beast Boy was still new, he was surprised when his girlfriend started to come to him for comfort.

Starfire smiled and began to trace patterns on his arm. It was moments like this that made him wonder how lucky he was.

"I feel safe with you, like this," Starfire revealed. Robin smiled into her hair.

"Good, you should feel like this."

Starfire amused herself again with tracing patterns on his arm. Robin was almost about to drift off when the girl spoke again.

"Thank you, Robin," she said softly, "for allowing me to feel safe."

* * *

Raven had been standing outside his door for the past ten minutes. She knew that he wouldn't care if she spent the night, after all he had the space, and clearly understood how awful nightmares were. But she still couldn't bring herself to knock on his door.

It turns out that, once again, Beast Boy was able to help her before she could help herself. The door slide open to reveal a sleepy changeling. Beast Boy looked at her before offering her his gloved hand. Raven sighed before grabbing it.

Beast Boy's room hadn't changed since the last time she had been in here. Clothes littered one side of the room, and the other half was piled up with boxes and art supplies.

"Wanna talk about it?" Beast Boy asked as he handed her a blanket. Raven frowned.

"You never talk about yours," Raven pointed out, but when his face fell, Raven regretted her words. He did talk about them, just not with her.

"Sorry, that was rude," Raven said. Beast Boy merely smiled, already brushing off her words like he had countless times before.

A few minutes later she was staring up at the framework of the top bunk. Beast Boy sounded like he was already back to sleep, but Raven wasn't ready to drift off yet.

Here, there were no monsters or shadow hands reaching out for her. No villains chasing after her. She was comforted by the thought that even if something were to come after her, the boy above her would get them before they could do any damage.

With the knowledge that she would be defended against any dream like creatures, Raven fell back asleep with a small smile.

"Thanks, Beast Boy," Raven whispered.

In his bed, even fast asleep, Beast Boy smiled.

* * *

Author's note: Here's another one minions. Read and Review! 8 Days till Christmas!


	13. Number 96 Ice Skating

Number 96

As Raven glided to the wall of the rink, she glanced around at her teammates. Robin was trying to get Beast Boy to let go of the wall long enough to try skating on his own for more than two seconds. Starfire was holding onto Cyborg but the two were laughing. Making her way over to her male friends Raven had to hide a smile as Robin grabbed Beast Boy's wrists.

"Come on, it's like flying, only on ice, okay?" Robin said. Beast Boy frowned as he tried to keep his feet from sliding out from under him again.

"Flying is different," Beast Boy said.

"I'm going to get you skating on your own by the end of today," Robin declared with a grin as he began to pick up speed.

Cyborg and Starfire pulled up alongside Raven and watched with a smile.

"You know I just figured out a pretty good nickname for B," Cyborg said with a laugh, "he'll probably kill me for it but it's perfect."

"Do I even want to know?" Raven ask, biting back a snicker as both boys almost fell. Beast Boy knees were going to be black and blue by tomorrow.

"It is adorable," Starfire said. Raven sighed.

"Okay, let's hear it," Raven conceded. Cyborg laughed again.

"Bambi," Cyborg said. Raven rolled her eyes fondly. She had a feeling that tomorrow morning that one would be presented during the breakfast argument.

The day progressed pleasantly. Raven eventually got enough balance to skate around the rink without the wall. Starfire and Cyborg ended up creating some sort of raving game that she got roped into playing.

Robin, on the other hand, was having way too much fun skating around the rink at his fastest speed while pulling Beast Boy behind him. At the end of the day they headed back to tower, cold, wet, but smiling.

And the next morning all of them had black and blue knees.

* * *

Author's Note: (peeks out from under rock) I went on hiatus again, didn't I? Sorry for not posting things got crazy after Christmas, by dog tore his ACL and we've been running around trying to fix everything. But now that things are calming down finally I'm going to be posting daily until I head back to school on the 18th. So comment with a particular request if you have one and read and review!


	14. Number 4 Open Air

Number 4

Beast Boy honestly didn't mean to stay out so late. He left the tower after lunch with the intention of flying for only a few hours. Robin had hinted at some sort of competition between the titan boys, and he didn't mind a bit of fun competition, but then a few hours turned into ten o'clock at night. Landing on the roof with a sigh, Beast Boy resigned himself to a chewing out by the team leader. Robin was a stickler for knowing where everyone on his team was, and he also wanted a call if someone was running late.

He easily walked down the stairs from the roof, not bothered by the darkness in the hallways. Having night vision was awesome and extremely useful; even though they lived in one of the most technological houses in the world, in his opinion, they had power outages at least once a month. He finally made it to the eleventh floor and pushed the elevator button. The plan was to go to the common room, defuse any sort of scolding he was anticipating, and then go to sleep. His shoulders ached from the miles of flying but it was worth it.

When the doors slid open to the common room, Beast Boy had to swallow a laugh. The room was dark except for the overhead light above the stove and the light coming in from the moon through the windows. Robin was sleeping on the couch, mouth slightly with soft snores emanating from within. Files, some finished and some not finished were clustered around him. Starfire was curled up next to him on the couch, head cradled on his shoulder, and occasionally she would shuffle closer, as if the boy wonder was about to disappear in an instant. Then again, that thought wasn't a time that any of them hadn't thought that.

Cyborg was passed out on the other end of the couch. Snores, much louder than Robin, were coming off from him, but Beast Boy only chuckled and moved to the cabinet under the television. Pulling out several blankets, he draped one over Robin and Starfire. He picked up the files as quietly as he could and put them on the coffee table.

He moved over to the other end of the couch and let a fond grin grace his face. Raven was curled up against the arm rest of the couch, one hand cradling her head and the other was weakly holding onto a book. Beast Boy slowly pried the book from her hand, and after looking for a few seconds, placed the bookmark between the pages. As he was placing the blanket over his female teammate, she stirred. Eyes opening slowly, she glanced around before yawning.

"You're finally home," Raven said softly, "the others were ready to send out a search party." Beast Boy smiled.

"Sorry, I lost track of the time. The search party can stand down for now," Beast Boy said gently. Raven nodded. This was one of his favorite sides of Raven; half asleep she was a mix of sweet and adorable. Not that he would ever tell anyone. This was one of his favorite secrets concerning the empath.

He made a move to walk away, but a hand on his wrist stopped him. Raven was looking at him with half open eyes, a small smirk on her face.

"No, sleep on the couch. It'll be easier for Starfire to hug you in the morning," Raven said, pulling on his arm until he was on the couch next to her. Eventually his head ended up on Raven's leg. Slowly, his eyes drifted shut and he felt a hand running through his hair and softly stroke the skin behind his ear.

A content hum escaped his lips and with a smile he fell asleep to the sounds of his friends around him and the scent of lavender around him.

* * *

Author's Note: Hello everyone! I'm actually proud that I wrote this at a reasonable hour. I know some of you are back in school, so here is a nice little gift while you get back in the swing of things :) Read and Review guys!


	15. Number 15 Don't mess with Beast Boy

Number 15

The event was crowded and loud. Something that Robin was trying, and failing, to see a positive side too. It was the annual Titan party, something that was organized after the war with the Brotherhood of Evil. The goal was to forge stronger bonds with some of the lesser known superheroes and strengthen the bonds they already had. He spotted some of his friends in the crowd; Starfire was talking with Red Star and Raven was talking with the Herold off to the side. Robin moved around the crowd, surprised when he bumped shoulders with his youngest teammate.

Beast Boy offered him a small smile, but it was strained. That was odd. Beast Boy often loved parties like this; by far, Beast Boy was probably the most sociable of them. Moving to stand next to his friend, Robin gently elbowed Beast Boy in the side.

"What are you doing all the way over here?" Robin asked, hoping to bring a smile to the boy's face. It was strange for Beast Boy not to be smiling. "I think I saw Pantha earlier trying to find you in the crowd."

Beast Boy snorted but he did crack a small smile.

"I'm sure I'll run into her at some point. But I figured that it would be easier if I hung out over here until I was sure that I would be throwing a punch." Beast Boy said surprising Robin. Beast Boy was hardly ever violent; more often than not he was the one breaking up fist fights between he and Cyborg (the girls never interfered with fights between the boys).

"Throw a punch? Don't let Speedy hear that, or he'll never let me live it down that I corrupted you," Robin responded. Beast Boy rolled his eyes, scanning the crowd before leaning against the wall.

"Ya, well, if the guy doesn't change his tone Speedy will be having a lot more to say than you corrupting me." Beast Boy, ears slowly pressing against his head. Robin frowned, trying to figure out what Beast Boy was talking about. There were very few people Beast Boy didn't get along with, mostly since the teen was so easy going. If there was someone that was irking the changeling it had to be over something serious. Beast Boy wasn't the type of person to get hung up on stupid annoyances. So, without any further input from the boy next to him, Robin was at a loss.

He didn't have to ask before the subject of this talk appeared. The person, a new recruit that Robin couldn't remember, waltzed over to where they were standing. The grin on his face was full of arrogance, and Robin instantly knew why Beast Boy was in a sour mood.

"Beastie, that wasn't very polite to run off during our conversation," the jerk said. Beast Boy narrowed his eyes.

"First off, do _not_ lecture me on manners. Second, it's Beast Boy, call me Beastie again and see what happens to your teeth." Beast Boy replied, eyes blazing with challenge. Robin slowly inched a few steps away and leaned against the wall. Robin wasn't in any hurry to break up this confrontation; mostly since he wanted to see what Beast Boy was going to do. This was a side of the teenager that no one really saw, mostly since it took a lot to wind him up, but also because Beast Boy kept a huge lockdown on his temper since the werebeast episode.

"But we were having such a wonderful time talking. You couldn't have run off because of our conversation?" The jerk face, (Robin decided to name him jerk face), "Oh, no. Was it something I said about her?"

Robin had an idea about who the 'her' was. There was only one girl that could get Beast Boy as riled up as much as he was now. With years of watching his friend, Robin easily noticed the small clench of Beast Boy's jaw and the way his back tensed. While Robin was trained to be on defense, it was hardwired into his friend's stance, years of confrontation easily bringing it to the surface.

"Now let's see, it couldn't be about how weird she looks. Or how she basically brought the end of the world." Jerk face mused. "Could it be the hair, or maybe how she hardly ever talks to people? Maybe that's way she's such a frigid girl."

"I would watch your mouth if I were you," Beast Boy hissed out. Robin considered seeking out Cyborg just in case, but in the end he decided against it. Beast Boy was pretty protective and right now one of his own was being attacked. There was no other way to look at it in Beast Boy's eyes; someone was trying to hurt someone he cared about and he couldn't let that go.

"Why? Afraid that this will set her off on a rampage? Wouldn't want her to ruin such a nice place. Maybe if I-"His words were cut off suddenly. Beast Boy had finally stepped forward, moving in a way to pin jerk face against the wall. Several sets of eyes surveyed the scene, but no one moved forward, probably waiting like Robin to see what would happen.

"I warned you once," Beast Boy said, his voice much more like a growl than his usual tone.

"I-"Jerk face tried to cut in, but Beast Boy was having none of it.

"Shut up. You are going to keep that trash can you call a mouth closed, or I will do it for you." Beast Boy said. "Do not _ever_ say those things about her. You have no idea what you think you're talking about. You are lucky that I'm not breaking your jaw right now; the only reason I'm not is because some person out there actually thinks you have a decent bone in your body."

Jerk face swallowed in fear, eyes wide, nodding frantically along to what Beast Boy was saying.

"So here is what you are going to do. You're going to stop going after Raven. In fact, if you talk like this about another person, again, I _will_ hear about it." He leaned in close, almost nose to nose with Jerk face.

"In fact, if you ever come near anyone on my team and talk to them like you just were, I will not be held accountable for my actions. Understand?" Beast Boy finished.

Jerk face nodded quickly. Smiling in a way that was in no way reassuring, Beast Boy stepped aside and watched as Jerk face ran away, his imaginary tail between his knees. Beast Boy turned to face Robin, whose mouth was slightly open.

"I'm not going to apologize. So don't even bother telling me too." Beast Boy stated and turned and moved into the crowd.

With a small smile of amazement, Robin shook his head. No, he wouldn't be telling Beast Boy to apologize anytime soon. Possibly sneak in a bag of his favorite candy later on, but there would be no yelling in the tower tonight.

After all, it was common knowledge that no one messed with any titan Beast Boy considered part of his family.

* * *

Author's Note: I honestly think this is the longest piece I've written yet for this collection. It didn't start out like that in my head. Oh well. Read and Review minions!


	16. Number 25 First Date RobxStar

Number 25

Between the ruined uniform on his frame, the disgusting squelch that his shoes made every time he took a step because of the water, and his irritation about this whole situation, Robin was _this close_ to throwing a good old fashioned temper tantrum. The small covering that he and Starfire were currently under was doing little to keep them dry. Not that they were dry to begin with. Robin could practically envision Raven's scowl as he tracked water all over the floor.

Starfire was next to him, staring at the rain with a focused look. Robin felt a pang of despair. All he wanted was to have a nice date with his girlfriend. His, _finally, _girlfriend. After so many years of teasing and pestering, he finally got the nerve to ask the redhead out. And now Mother Nature and karma decided to team up to rain on his parade (no pun intended).

Stupid Mad Mod. Why did the annoying man decide that tonight was the night to stir up trouble? He had finally gotten the imagined date with Starfire and it was ruined. Totally ruined.

"Robin?"

The boy turned, not able to wipe the frown off of his face.

"Ya?" He replied, his sour mood leaking into his voice. Starfire looked at him in concern.

"Why do you look troubled?" She asked. Robin frowned harder.

"It was supposed to be an awesome date, Star, and it's completely ruined. I just wanted you to have a good night and I couldn't even do that."

A finger turned his face to the red haired girl.

"Did you know that Mad Mod would decide to attack tonight?" Starfire questioned. Robin blinked.

"What, no, of course not!"

"Did you plan the rain?"

"I'm not a weather man," Robin said. Starfire smiled.

"Then, since you didn't plan any of those things, the date is not 'completely ruined'." Starfire announced. Robin blinked again and slowly smiled.

"Next date, it's going to be perfect."

"I think you can work on other things before then," Starfire answered, and pressed her lips to his. Here, even with no fancy date, soaked in the rain, this was pretty close to perfect.

* * *

Author's Note: Ok, so school is back in session, but I have Wednesday's off so that will be upload day. So, read and review, and comment which one you guys want next.


	17. Number 21 Secret of Dance

Number 21

Beast Boy knows how to disarm an alarm system in under thirty seconds, how to place hits on someone so that they can't fight back, and how to hack into any main frame. Mento was adamant that all these skills, and dozens more, were shoved into neat little boxes in his head so that one day, god forbid, he might live instead of ending up on the topside of a morgue slab. About half of what he knows he hasn't shared with the Titans simply because the Doom Patrol was always in the middle of some warzone and now, in Jump, they are far from that setting.

The others had gotten the idea that since he was constantly on the move and fighting, he was somehow behind the eight ball. Which made no sense. His upbringing was pretty far from traditional, but for the most part he did get the basic picture; Mento and Negative Man were smarter than most. Anything they learned they passed on to him. Roboman taught him all about computers, the hacking part mostly, and Mento and Chief were constantly cramming any fighting technique into his head. Rita, however, decided that something was sorely lacking from his learning.

It was close to a year with being with the Doom Patrol that Elastic Girl decided that he needed to have skills that didn't involve potentially maiming someone or hacking into places that shouldn't be bothered with. She began to show him how to dance, with the intention of placing some passion for the arts within him, and also create a stronger bond between them. The waltz was okay to learn, but it was boring. Beast Boy was always moving and gliding and being graceful was something that he never gave patience to. The foxtrot was better, but his favorite was swing dancing.

There was something about the movements that made it easy for Beast Boy to slowly unwind. He was either constantly on guard or antsy because he wasn't moving. Swing allowed him to be in control, not his instincts. That was something that Beast Boy was grateful for; he couldn't recall how many times he had danced alone in his room, blasting music from his mp3, shutting out the world around him and forgetting whatever had been on his mind. He never really explained this technique to his friends, mostly since they were still having issues wrapping their heads around the Doom Patrol.

It was his secret, well, his not so secret secret. It wasn't that he was outright hiding his dancing from the team, he just never felt the need to tell them, and they never felt the need to ask what he did in the odd times he hid out in his room. Surprisingly, the topic of how he learned how to dance came up on complete chance. It was a slow day, no calls, and he was dancing around his room to "Sing Sing Sing" by Benny Goodman. The others had decided to go out, out odds and ends errands, and he elected to stay behind.

Beast Boy hadn't even noticed that someone was standing in his doorway until the music ended and he heard a cough. He turned around, and instantly felt his face flaming up. Cyborg was leaning against the door frame, a small smile on his face, but not the kind he had on when he just found blackmail material. Beast Boy swallowed.

"How long have you been standing there?" He asked, as he slowly pulling the earbuds out and tossed his mp3 player on his bed. Cyborg shrugged.

"Long enough to notice this wasn't the first time you did this." He replied. Beast Boy sighed. So much for keeping this to himself.

"No, it isn't," Beast Boy agreed. Cyborg nodded, and then smiled gently at him.

"The others don't know?"

And there it was. He was never going to get out of this.

"No, they don't know," He said. The silent _and I hope they don't even find out_ was obvious to hear.

"Okay," Cyborg said after a moment, "I won't say anything to the others, on one condition."

Beast Boy groaned inwardly. This wasn't going to end well, all because he couldn't be bothered to close his door.

"And the condition is?"

"Teach me."

Beast Boy opened his mouth only to close it just as quick. There was no way he heard that right.

"What?" Beast Boy asked. Cyborg laughed.

"You know what you're doing, B. This isn't just some random moves, someone taught you. I'm not asking to know the story about that yet, unless you want to tell me. All I'm asking is for you to teach me."

Beast Boy thought about it. Cyborg wasn't pushing or trying to get answers. He was simply asking to be taught, and in return Beast Boy's secret was still safe.

"Ok, tin can. Let's go find your Ipod." Beast Boy said. He gave a laugh at his friend's look.

"Why do we need my Ipod?" Cyborg asked in confusion.

Beast Boy stopped and flashed him a smile.

"If you want to learn, you gotta listen to the music, Cy. That means I'm going to give you the best music the 40's can offer."

Later on that day, as he struggled to keep his laughter in over Cyborg's jerky movements, he found himself remembering that this was the exact way Rita taught him. Who knows, maybe he would tell Cyborg the whole story one day. As he went to correct his best friend's footwork, he knew that the story wouldn't have to wait long to be told.

* * *

Author's Note: I like how this Wednesday posting thing is working out. Read and Review minion!


	18. Number 36 Loopy Boys and pain meds

Number 36

Cyborg was _this close_ to beating the boy in front of him with the closest, heaviest object. Of course Robin had to choose that moment in time to play the role of the sacrificing hero. Of course it had to be for a stupid, and completely _avoidable_ reason, one that would have resulted in less cuts and scrapes and no mangled bike in his garage. Across from him, where Raven was treating one of the several deeper cuts on Robin's leg, she gave him a look that was along the same line. Thankfully there was no anxious princess to worry about; Starfire had been ushered over to his little buddy until Robin was all bandaged up. Cyborg was going to make sure that Robin paid up after this; Starfire was hard to handle when someone, usually Robin, acted rashly.

"Ow! Raven, you don't have to pull that hard!" Robin shouted as Raven prodded his arm. The appendage was bent at an unnatural angle, and was the only thing of importance at the moment for Cyborg to fix. Kicking his leaders ass would have to wait until the cast was on.

"It wouldn't be hurting this much if you hadn't decided to act stupidly," Raven said. "If you had listened, your arm would still be in one piece."

Robin gritted his teeth. "Beast Boy does stupid things like these all the time," Robin fired back. Raven's eyes narrowed.

"Beast Boy does act rashly, Robin, but right now he isn't the one on a medical bed with an arm that has three breaks in it. You are." Raven countered. The boy wonder huffed, but didn't say anything back. He didn't have to have Raven's empathetic powers to know that she was royally pissed at him. Maybe this would drill some sense into the guy's thick skull.

"Alright, man, we got to set that arm," Cyborg said. Robin set his jaw, but managed to roll his sleeve up so Cyborg could give him the pain killer. Broken bones were pretty common, but Cyborg wasn't stingy with the pain medication. If something was hurting, and the person was clearly in discomfort, the older boy didn't say no to taking away the pain.

"Looking at the x-ray, you got two greenstick fractures, but the big one was a clean break. Set that one in place and we should be alright." Cyborg stated as he gave Robin the shot of pain killers. After giving the medication a moment to get going, Cyborg got a good hold on the boy wonder's arm. Counting to three in his head, knowing it was better to just go for it, he braced himself.

One, two, three.

One sharp tug and the bone was looking like it should have. Robin had given a slight gasp, but other than that nothing. Raven helped him fix the cast, and twenty minutes later the android gave the all clear for the other two members of the team to come in.

To say that Starfire flew in was an understatement. The girl came charging in, worry evident on her face, expecting the worst and hoping for the best. Another grim reminder that something like this could have ended so much worse than a broken bone.

"Robin, you are ok?" Starfire asked. Robin looked at her, blinked a few times, and then _laughed_. And the little bar of stress that was slowly going away in Cyborg's head came rising back up. Starfire looked like she had been struck. From behind him, he could see Raven and Beast Boy gaping.

"Did he really just do that?" Beast Boy muttered to Raven. Beside him, Raven nodded.

"Robin, are you alright?" Starfire asked, her face pinching in concern. In front of her Robin giggled, honest to god _giggled,_ and if they weren't unnerved before they were now. Robin had clearly cracked.

"Ok, man, I think we should get you off to bed," Cyborg stated, moving back over to the idiot before he fell over and busted his head too. Robin frowned.

"But I'm not tired," He said frankly. Raven coughed. Beside her Beast Boy was fighting back a grin.

"How much morphine did Cyborg give him?" He asked. Raven looked away from where Cyborg was trying to get Robin off the bed, with little results, to glance at the other boy next her.

"More than what was needed for setting a bone, that's for sure. I'm pretty sure one of us is going to have to watch him till it gets out of his system."

Beast Boy chuckled and Raven had to roll her eyes fondly. Robin was finally standing up, but he was constantly getting distracted with Starfire. More specifically, Starfire's hair.

"It's so pretty," Robin sang, giving a lopsided grin. Starfire glanced at Cyborg, who was smiling and unsuccessfully fighting back laughter.

"I am to assume this is not normal?" Starfire asked as she watch her boyfriend run his fingers through her hair. Cyborg nodded.

"It's the drugs, Star. They'll wear off in a few hours and then Robin will be right back to his normal self, complete with that stick up his ass."

Robin poked him in the chest. "Do not.'

Cyborg raised an eyebrow. "Do not what, Rob?" Robin pinched his face into a glare.

"I don't have a stick up my ass, shiny."

Beast Boy couldn't hold in any longer and laughed at the look on his leaders face. Robin turned towards the sound.

He reached one arm out, hands making a grabbing motion, as he tried to move away from the four hands holding him.

"Beast Boy, come here. I don't need to go to bed, I could just sit next to him, and he is always warm, so that'd be okay, right shiny?" Robin said, voice gaining speed. Beast Boy laughed again.

"How about this, Robin? I'll sit with you, but you still have to go to your room? Sound good?" Beast Boy offered. Raven rolled her eyes fondly. It was weird to see how the table had turned. Robin looked like he was pondering the offer, but stuck his hand out again.

"Fine, but I get a hug first," Robin said. Beast Boy sighed and behind him, Starfire was smiling broadly. Beast Boy walked over and was soon trying to keep his footing since Robin decided that he had to _hurl_ himself into the smaller boy.

"You're so _warm,_" Robin _purred_. Beast Boy looked over Robin's shoulder to his best friend.

"You sure you gave him the right dose?" He asked as Robin pulled him right up so that his head was tucked under the boy wonders chin.

"We should do this more often," Robin rambled. "Like, a lot, cus you never let me touch you, or hug you, or anything."

And suddenly the room went from being happy and funny to depressing. Beast Boy shifted so that his head could tilt back a bit to see his friends face.

"Well, you don't exactly like hugs, Robin." Beast Boy said. Robin moved so that his head was back under his chin. That growth spurt couldn't come fast enough.

"But we should do it more often," Robin replied. Beast Boy thought for a moment.

"Fine, next time you want a hug, just ask, okay? I won't say no." Beast Boy answered. Robin squeezed tighter.

"Promise, you've never broken one of those," Robin asked. Beast Boy nodded.

"I promise, Robin. Now, let's get you back to your room before you pass out."

* * *

When this was over, Raven was going to personally had Adonis his ass on a silver plate. It wasn't enough that the weather was going to hell, but on top of it all between the five of them there had only been seven hours of sleep over a three day period, and Raven knew that their nerves were slowly fraying. Stupid, idiotic, and asinine Adonis got it into his head that he was going to not only go after a titan, but he was going to kill one also.

They should have known he would go after Beast Boy. They should have known that out of all of them the most bad blood lay between him and the youngest titan. That alone should have raised red flags. But it didn't and now they were all paying the price.

Raven was trying to distract the boy in front of her. Beast Boy was breathing heavily, one hand clenched tightly in a fist in an effort not to scream. None of them would blame him. After all, they weren't the one lying on a hospital bed with a shattered leg and a possible dislocated hip as well.

God damn Adonis. If Raven ever saw him again she may break the cardinal rule.

Beast Boy bit back another yell as Cyborg prodded his hip. She ran her hand through his green hair, trying to give him _something_ other than the pain he was feeling. Pain that he could have been spared from had his friend's paid closer attention to Adonis. Cyborg tried to sooth Beast Boy as he rubbed his shoulder with concern.

"We have to put his hip back in place before we set the leg," Cyborg said as he rummaged around a drawer by the side of the bed. Beast Boy took a deep breath through his nose.

"Whatever it is that you're going to do, just do it," Beast Boy stated. His eyes were slowly going out of focus; the pain level had to be beyond intense. Cyborg fiddled with getting an IV ready, and Raven saw him get a syringe of morphine ready as well. Raven wanted to yell at him, to say that they were wasting enough time already, but at this point all it would accomplish was a demolished medical wing. Raven went back to her original attempt at soothing.

"Sh, you're okay," Raven mused, trying to think of something to distract him with. Beast Boy jumped, and Raven was ready to demand answers, when she saw that Cyborg had finally gotten the IV started. Pushing away what was left of Beast Boy's sleeve, he wiped the skin on his bicep with an alcohol wipe.

"Small pinch, B, then the pain's gonna stop," Cyborg said. Beast Boy didn't say anything, staring at some point in the ceiling, obviously trying to think about anything other than the pain radiating in his lower half. Within moments the morphine was coursing through his system and when Cyborg deemed it all clear, she resumed her previous task.

"Focus on me, okay?" Raven said slightly turning his head and angling her body so Cyborg was slightly blocked. He nodded slowly, his eyes going out of focus again.

"I'll tell you when, Raven," Cyborg murmured. Raven could care less; at this moment the only thing in her concern was the person in front of her.

"Hey," Raven said, grabbing Beast Boy's hand, knowing that it probably would be getting crushed very soon, but caring very little about it. "Tell me about sea turtles."

His face creased, clearly trying to process what she was asking him to do.

"Turtles? You want," His voice hitched as Cyborg pulled something, "me to tell you about sea turtles?"

Raven brushed her thumb over his forehead. "You're always saying how awesome they are." Behind her, Cyborg coughed. Raven wanted to look, but couldn't. Right now she was needed elsewhere.

She caught Beast Boy's eyes going out of focus again. Raven rubbed his cheek.

"Hey, look at me," Raven said, hearing Cyborg count under his breath. "What kind is your favorite?"

"Favorite _what_, Rae?" Beast Boy asked, voice slowly slurring from pain and the morphine.

"Turtle, Beast Boy. And it's Raven." She replied. _Just do it already, Cyborg. _

"Leatherback, those are-" Beast boy's voice cut off as a loud yell burst through followed by a sickening _pop_ of his hip going back in place. Body trembling, and feeling his heart going a mile a minute beneath her hand, Raven barely knew what she was doing. She just acted.

Pressing her lips against his forehead, Raven gave him a chaste kiss, trying to give him any sort of comfort.

"It's ok, the worst is over, you're ok, you're ok," Raven said, voice trying desperately to show the concern she was feeling. Behind her Cyborg was doing the same thing.

"It's done, B. I'm just going to set your leg and then it's over," Cyborg said as he brushed his best friend's hair back. Beast Boy didn't respond, body and mind most likely succumbing to the pain and morphine at least, but Raven hoped that he heard them.

Not paying attention to what Cyborg was doing, she concentrated on the boy before her. Gently rubbing his cheek, and once again pressing her lips to his forehead, she spoke softly to him.

"You'll be ok, the pain is gone, and then you can sleep, and we aren't going anywhere. Hear that? We aren't going anywhere. _I'm _not going anywhere," Raven said. Beast Boy turned his head towards her, eyes trying in vain to stay open.

"It's ok," Raven soothed. She gripped his hand in reassurance. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Her world shrunk down to this room, filled with the sounds of Cyborg muttering to himself, her murmuring words, and the gently breathing of the boy in front of her.

It stayed that way for a long time.

* * *

Author's Note: Hey minions! So first off, we're at 84 reviews. Holy crap, that is way more than I ever excepted this story arch to get. You guys are amazing. This story took forever to write, but I think it came out pretty well. I've always thought that Robin would be a laughing mess when on pain meds. So, read and review minions!


	19. Number 45 Computer Games

Number 45

Starfire, while having been on Earth for some time now, was still confused about a number of things. For one thing, iTunes, was completely lost to her. It didn't matter how many time Cyborg or Robin explained it, she never managed to understand it. Computers were a hit or miss, too. She got how to work the internet, type the files, run a background check. But ask her how to run a math calculation on Excel and she didn't have the faintest idea where to begin. Starfire wasn't stupid; she could do large, advanced calculations in her head.

There were other things too; things like how emails arrived quicker than an actual letter and how with a few simple touches someone could edit a picture in seconds. But there were still things she loved about this new world. She adored how with the flick of a switch a blanket could heat up on its own. Cyborg showed her the wonders of ice cream, something that tasted nothing like the milk beverage in the fridge, and Beast Boy showed her how to use milk to eat Oreos in the "proper way". With every lesson and every trick she felt more and more confident on Earth.

However, there was the confusion with the games played on the computer. She had seen Robin, Cyborg and Beast Boy play video games countless times before. She also knew what types of games were the best, in their opinions. Cyborg tended to drift towards the racing games. Robin enjoyed the fighting games and Beast Boy liked the types of games that required you to figure out a puzzle.

There were a handful of games that she had seen them play on the computer itself. Cyborg and Beast Boy played a game called "Happy Wheels". It required some sort of skill, but it tended to result in the online character dying in some sort of gory way. Robin liked the stimulation games, but he never seemed to beat one called "Baking Simulator". Needless to say, Starfire was curious to see what the interest in these games offered. So, she asked Raven, hoping she could offer some insight. Raven tried, but since she didn't partake in any of these activities, she was as clueless as she was.

Which was why, when the boys were gone, the two of them decided to see what the big fuss was about.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this," Raven said as she started up the main computer. There was no reason why she and the only other female in the tower were going through with this. She had a new book, the last book in the _Unwind_ series, waiting for her in her room and yet, here she was. Giving up some nice quiet time in exchange for wasting away on the internet. Azar help her if Beast Boy walked in now and saw what she was doing. She would never hear the end of it.

"But, friend Raven, look here!" Starfire pointed the screen, indicating to several of the characters they could choose from; there was a man on a pogo stick, a large woman on a motorized shopping cart, and a man with a bicycle and a child. Starfire selected the man and child on the bicycle, and selected a level called _3d obstacle course. _The red head was doing caught well on the course, until she mixed up the back and forward keys, leading to the game character to fall, landing on a row of spikes. Blood gushed everywhere. The girls slowly looked at one another, slowly grinning.

When the boys did come back, some hours later, it was to return to find an empty common room and a smoking computer. On what was left of the main computer there was a red post-it. Robin raised an eyebrow put picked it up. On it was Raven's handwriting.

_Two things. The first, sorry about the mess. The second, Happy Wheels is now banded from the tower. Starfire got too angry about not beating a level. _

_-Raven. _

Slowly, he turned to face his two male friends. Cyborg was wide-eyed, clearly focusing on the repair time. Beast Boy looked shocked, but he was smiling. Shaking his head, Robin went for the broom closet.

One thing was for sure: things were never quiet in the tower.

* * *

Author's Note: Holy crap, 90 reviews! You guys are awesome. Anyway, enjoy some Raven Starfire fun. Read and Review minions!


	20. Number 60 Mento's Mistake

Number 60

Gripping the controls tightly in his hands, Cyborg tried to think of this rationally. They all had to be thinking rationally when they finally came to blows with this. Well, on the surface, Cyborg maintained the image that he wouldn't mind punching a certain man, but in all honesty he hoped it never happened. They were already pushing the issue with Beast Boy; no need to add a fist fight to the list. Glancing at the clock beside the control wheel, Cyborg grit his teeth. _3:46_. Plenty of time for them to talk and get back before his little buddy knew. Cyborg could only hope that Aqualad was able to distract Beast Boy long enough not to notice that his friends were pulling the "over-protective teammates" card.

Glancing at the seat next to him, Robin looked like he was thinking along the same lines. It was one thing for them to criticize each other; it was another for an outsider to try and belittle accomplishments. Cyborg wanted to turn back. To go back, and convince Beast Boy to come with him on some stupid adventure, anything to get his mind off this.

But deep down, Cyborg wasn't sorry.

He figured that the others weren't sorry either. Not when it meant a chance to defend someone they cared about, someone who clearly believed that he still couldn't tell them about these types of things.

When they got back, Cyborg was going to be dragging his best friend aside for a very long talk. If something like this was bothering him enough for titan members outside of the team in Jump City, it was bad.

For the longest time nothing had been wrong. Until Beast Boy started doing little things to tip them off that something wasn't right. Things like not making jokes at dinner, or leaving Raven alone for more than an hour. It had been going on like this for some time, with Beast Boy getting more and more quiet, and he and the rest of his friends growing more and more concerned.

Raven always liked to say that Beast Boy was an open book with his emotions. But getting him to talk about them was an entirely different matter and one that Cyborg was struggling was achieve. Cyborg wondered if maybe they were going about this wrong. Perhaps they could just turn around and head back home.

Then he thought back to how many times he and the others had wondered that the hell was wrong. They could count on one hand the amount of times they had seen their friend get like this and all those times didn't have pleasant memories.

Putting his resolve back in place, Cyborg steeled himself. If Beast Boy got mad for what they were doing, so be it. He would rather have his buddy mad at him than allow dome-head to continue his nitpicking and harshness.

"Are we going to be needing a body bag?"

Cyborg jumped as Robin's voice came through his comm. He sighed.

"No man," the android replied, "As it is, B isn't going to like that we went over his head. I don't want to tell him that we also killed one of his former teammates."

Robin gave a dry chuckle. "I know, but if this works, and Mento backs off, then it will be worth it."

"And just how are we going to tell him to back off, Rob?" Cyborg said. He didn't need to see Robin to know he was steeling facial features.

"By telling him that by messing with one titan, you mess with all of them."

* * *

The Doom Patrol base didn't look cheerful when they finally landed. The complex was flat, mostly gray, with only a few windows here and there. Cyborg tried to picture Beast Boy growing up in a place like this and failed. Then he remembered the type of villains the Doom Patrol went after. Beast Boy may not have actually had time to put roots down here.

Raven walked up next to him. A little ways behind him, Starfire and Robin were talking. Raven glanced at her communicator.

"Aqualad managed to convince him to stay the night," Raven reported. Cyborg nodded, mind elsewhere.

"He's worried," Raven continued. Cyborg snorted.

"We all are. Hopefully we can get this sorted out sooner rather than later."

They were pulled from their conversation by a shocked exclamation.

"What are you doing here?"

The four of them turned to look, and Cyborg tried to ignore the dropping of his stomach. Mento, leader of the Doom Patrol, was staring them down with laser sharp eyes. Behind him was Elastic Girl. The other two members weren't around, something the metal teen was grateful for.

It was going to be bad enough having to explain this to Beast Boy without telling him they ran into every member of his past team.

"We're here," Robin said, voice already in his "commanding tone", "to set the record straight with you. Not your team, just you."

Mento narrowed his eyes and Cyborg suddenly remembered that the dome head could read minds. He sincerely hoped Raven was doing some weird mind stuff to counter that.

"Listen, whatever grievance you have, you'll have to take it elsewhere, I don't have time for this," Mento said turning to go back. Elastic Girl grabbed his arm and spun him around again.

"They came here to talk. You will listen to them," She said, voice sounding eerily similar.

"We don't have time for this," Mento hissed. Elastic Girl narrowed her eyes.

"Yes, you do. If you have enough time to make calls to Jump City at ungodly hours, you have enough time for this."

Mento frowned. Starfire glanced at Cyborg; clearly they weren't the only ones who knew what was going on. Elastic Girl stepped closer to the Doom Patrol leader, her mouth becoming a thin line.

"Whatever vice you have with them, drop it. You've already driven him away from us, from _me_, once. I'm not going to let you do it a second time."

Elastic Girl took a deep breath, and when Cyborg saw her eyes they weren't the kind eyes that he remembered from the first time they had met. Her eyes were bordering on the edges between frustration and pain. A look that he remembered well; his own mother had given that look to him plenty of times when she was alive. This wasn't a teammate pleading to their leader; this was a mother pleading for her child.

Beast Boy never told them exactly when Mento said when he called. They were able to guess; the raised voices and hissed out sentences were more than enough. However, whenever Beast Boy did speak of his former team, Elastic Girl was always spoken of with good things. Cyborg swallowed against the tension surrounding them all.

When this was all over, he was going to sit down and talk to his buddy. Former team animosity aside, when sometime was trying to get him to switch sides again didn't mean staying quiet.

"Fine, Rita, okay," Mento said. Elastic Girl nodded then turned and walked back into the building. Cyborg had a sneaking suspicion that Beast Boy would know where they were within the hour.

"Well, let's get this over with," Mento said. Robin narrowed his eyes.

"You are going to listen, got it?" Robin said. Mento didn't say anything. "I don't appreciate other people going after my teammates. This includes trying to pry them off my team and then making sure your dirty work can't be found after. Beast Boy never said anything because he probably felt like he owed you for leaving, but we are going to tell you the same thing we will be telling him: he doesn't owe you anything."

Robin clenched his fist.

"Whatever happened to you two isn't our business, but what is our business is when you try to drive a wedge between him and us. All of us have been through hell, and we aren't going to let someone like you ruin what we have."

At that, Robin smiled.

"That being said, we're going to leave you with some advice before we leave. If you want to talk to Beast Boy, that's fine. But if you ever try to pull another stunt like this again, you will have more titans on you then you know what to do with."

Mento narrowed his eyes.

"Is that a threat, boy?"

Raven smirked.

"No, _sir_, it isn't a threat." Mento looked at her.

"It's a promise that if you mess with one titan you mess with all of them. And trust me when I say we won't break this promise. He's never broken his, and we won't break ours."

Mento searcher her eyes, clearly looking for something.

"Why do you care so much?" Mento asked finally.

Raven, in a rare moment, smile lightly.

"He's my friend and teammate. I know that if the roles were reversed he would be defending me, or any of us. But, mostly, he's family."

Raven went to finger her brooch on her cloak, where he knew a certain penny was kept.

"And I never let my family get hurt without doing something about it."


	21. Number 70 The Poke War

Number 70

Raven was slowly getting annoyed. It was past five thirty, she hadn't been able to take a warm shower since the boiler broke, and the older two titan boys were off somewhere in the tower doing who knows what. At least Starfire and Beast Boy stayed out of her warpath; those two had been sticking to one another side she woke up this morning with a look that would scare Slade.

When she did finally find them, they were in the garage chasing each other around on the swivel chairs. She barely managed to control her frustration. She coughed.

With an almost comical effect, both boys planted their feet down on the ground and turned to face the empath with a sheepish look.

"Hey Raven," Cyborg said. Robin waved in return. Raven rubbed her temples. Honestly, those two had been steadily getting more and more annoying as the weeks progressed. It was something she couldn't figure out.

"Don't "hey Raven" me, Cyborg," Raven hissed. "At least tell me you have fixed the boiler."

A beat passed and she saw Robin sink a little in his seat. Raven could feel the beginnings of a headache forming in the back of her skull.

"Well, about that," Cyborg began. Raven took a deep breath and offered a smile that looked more homely on a tiger.

"Cyborg, I'm going to give you until Beast Boy and Starfire get back from getting our food to fix it. If it isn't done, I'm going to tell Starfire to force feed you every meal until next month. Got it?" Raven hissed. At the rate she was going she was going to need to spend the rest of the night meditating.

With a speed that Kid Flash would have been proud of both boys moved to do her bidding.

Good. A little threatening never caused any harm.

Nearly forty minutes later, the food had arrived and Raven was about to head back down to get the titan boys. She was, however, intercepted by her green skinned partner.

"Go eat, Rae, I'll go get them," Beast Boy said. Raven blinked and without a word from her he was gone. Shaking her head, Raven walked back into the kitchen to help Starfire set the table.

"So, what have you and Beast Boy done today?" Raven asked as she poured them all water. Starfire shrugged.

"We did the hanging out," Starfire said. Raven hummed.

"He was worried about you today," Starfire added. Raven stopped moving for a moment, before turning to the sink to fill up another glass.

"Beast Boy worries about a lot of things," Raven answered. Starfire fiddled with a fork for a moment.

"What I meant was that he was worried that talking to you would hurt more," Starfire said. "He didn't want to upset you more than you were already."

Raven sighed. Beast Boy had always been on the receiving end of her temper; he knew it better than most.

"Starfire, it was just a bad day." Raven explained. Starfire nodded before turning back to putting silver wear on the table.

Soon, they were done setting the table and getting the drinks, but Beast Boy hadn't come back with Cyborg and Robin. Raven was slowly getting annoyed again.

Standing up from her seat she moved to the elevator.

"I'll be back in a minute. If you hear thuds coming from the garage, don't worry about it." Raven stated. Starfire chuckled as the empath disappeared within the elevator.

When Raven reached the bottom floor, she certainly didn't expect the scene that was in front of her.

Beast Boy was currently sitting on one of the swivel chairs, arms crossed over his chest, but he was smiling and halfheartedly pushing off Robin's legs that were trapping him in the chair.

Beside him, Cyborg was leaning forward, evasively poking and dodging Robin, who was doing the same. Raven rubbed her temples; sometimes she wondered just how mature the oldest members on the team were.

"What are you doing?" Raven asked finally. Robin turned, full on grinning, and explained.

"We're in the middle of a poke war," He answered. Cyborg nodded and laughed as he avoided Robin's finger to his shoulder.

"And why is Beast Boy being held hostage?" Raven asked. Beast Boy chuckled.

"I'm a prisoner since I interfered," Beast Boy supplied. Shaking her head, Raven told the boys to head upstairs for dinner, before heading back to the elevator.

Mature adults. Yeah, right.

* * *

Author's Note: You guys are amazing! We passed 100 reviews, which makes me so freaking excited! So, read and review guys!


	22. Number 79 Christmas Decorating

Number 79

It was the sound of laughter that brought them into the hall. It was finally Christmas, and even though there wasn't any snow on the ground in Jump City, Starfire was determined to get her friends into the holiday spirit as much as possible. They had been separated into teams, Robin and Cyborg setting up the tree, Raven untangling the boxes of lights, and Starfire and Beast Boy off to decorate the rest of the tower. It didn't seem like a bad idea; Starfire tended to blast things when she got annoyed, and Beast Boy hated Christmas lights.

Well, he didn't hate Christmas lights; Beast Boy just had a habit of getting stuck in them and the others wanted to keep the detangling process down to a minimum. Now, though, the tree was finally in its stand (Robin and Cyborg couldn't agree on whether the tree was straight or not) and Beast Boy and Starfire were nowhere to be found. Raven sighed, before placing down a stand of lights on the back of the couch. When they stepped into the hallway the three were taken aback.

There was tinsel everywhere. On the doorframe, on the walls, on windows.

Robin sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Cyborg laughed at the obvious trail of chaos that had been left for them.

"Well, Rob, you did tell her she could decorate as much as she wanted," Cyborg said. Raven rolled her eyes and headed down the hall to find the other two members of her team. It didn't take long.

Starfire and Beast Boy were at the end of the hall, the changeling holding a box full of tinsel and garland for the Tameranian, while Starfire was happily putting the decorations everywhere she could. Both of them were smiling.

"You two look like you've been having fun," Cyborg said. Starfire spun on her heel, practically radiating happiness, and Robin began to wonder how many candy canes his girlfriend had eaten.

"Oh, friend Cyborg, it is wonderful! This tinsel is perfect for bringing in the Christmas spirit! Santa Clause will be most happy to see everything so festive!" Starfire exclaimed. Beast Boy laughed, causing a stand of tinsel which had been on his head to drape down and across one of his ears.

No one bothered to correct the girl about Santa Clause. Starfire got so excited about the holidays.

"Ya, Star, he's going to get a kick out of all this," Cyborg confirmed. Raven drifted over to the pair, and brushed some of the tinsel away from Beast Boy's eyes.

"Do I even want to know?" Raven asked. Beast Boy grinned.

"You know, Rae, you don't look shiny enough," Beast Boy said. Raven narrowed her eyes.

"Garfield, if you even think about it, I'm sending you on a one way trip to the bay," Raven threatened. Beast Boy, who was originally disgruntled by the use of his real name, started laughing at the threat. By now it didn't scare him that Raven was threatening him. It also diminished her threats because they had been dating for some time.

Starfire chuckled behind her and before Raven knew what was happening, a handful of tinsel had been thrown over her. Her vision was impaired by the shiny material, causing her eyes to blink rapidly in attempts to clear it, and she used one hand to brush it aside.

"Starfire," Raven started. But when she turned around Starfire was giving her the largest puppy eyes. Beast Boy leaned against her.

"I think you can yell later, Rae. Silver looks nice on you." Beast Boy commented. Raven's lips turned up for a brief second. Lately she had been letting small, little smiles go, usually in the presence of her partner. After years of trying to get her to smile, he was finally enjoying the fruits of his labor.

"You know," Raven said as she grabbed a good sized handful of the tinsel, "I think Cyborg and Robin are a lacking in the festive spirit, Starfire." The two titan boys, who had been standing off the side, started to back up.

"Now, come on guys," Cyborg started as he watched Starfire and his best friend grab a handful as well.

Raven's eyes gleamed.

"Since it is the holiday season and all," And no one could miss the manic laugh that came from Starfire at their new game, "I'll give you a five second head start."

The tree wasn't finished until the next morning and for the next few weeks all of them were picking up tinsel from everywhere in the tower.

* * *

Author's Note: Hey minions! Hope you like this little installment. I think I'm going to work on one of the longer prompts (cough-wisdom teeth-cough). Also, I'm working on a longer fic that I've been wanting to do for a while. So I think I'll give you guys a hint until it's published. This one is going to focus on Beast Boy and Robin, again, but with a twist. Read and Review guys!


	23. Number 69 Wisdom Teeth

Number 69

Raven stared at the clock with a hard look in her eyes. The seconds seemed to drag by, much slower than usual on a Monday afternoon, but Raven could usually handle it. Most times she had a book in her hand, a cup of tea, or she had caved and watched some old movie classic with Beast Boy. But not today. This morning was spent trying to convince Beast Boy to let Cyborg take him to the dentist, which had been meant with as much enthusiasm as Robin had expected. The boy wonder, the one who finally decided to play his "big brother and concerned leader" card, had been hiding out in the files room until Beast Boy wasn't fuming over the unexpected mutiny.

None of them wanted to spring the suggestion, or order depending on how you looked at it, on their friend but this had gone on long enough. A few weeks ago Beast Boy had been experiencing sharp pains in his jaw. At first, Cyborg thought it could have been an injury that had been overlooked, but there was no injury to be found. Those sharp pains soon turned into a pain that would be present almost daily, and now it was effecting how the resident changeling was eating.

Cyborg was the most concerned in this aspect; Beast Boy had an extremely high metabolism and if he wasn't eating enough that would mean serious trouble for him if it wasn't addressed. Which led to this morning; telling and convincing their friend that it was time to go to the dentist and figure out what was going on. Cyborg had put his foot down for the whole team going; Beast Boy was already annoyed with the situation, he didn't need to filter the rest of the team's emotions as well. Which left them here.

While Robin was still hiding away from whatever fury he thought Beast Boy would rain down on him when he return, Starfire had been glued to her side since this morning. The girl had been pacing relentlessly at first, creating a circuit from the kitchen to the bay windows. An hour passed, then two, and Raven was now seriously considering flying downtown to find her wayward teammates.

She didn't need to wait much longer. At the exact moment that Raven stood to go to the roof, Cyborg walked in, minus Beast Boy. The androids face was stony.

"How bad?" Raven asked immediately. Cyborg didn't answer, moving to grab Starfire's arm as she was heading to the door to find their missing friend.

"Give him a minute, Star," Cyborg said. He turned to Raven.

"You're coming back with us, he nearly bolted twice. Thank god there wasn't a lot of windows in the room we were in, or I would have had to create impromptu locks for them."

Raven rubbed her temples, then started for the elevator doors. If she focused for a second she could detect a high level of anxiety coming from the lower levels.

"I'll go get Beast Boy, you should let Robin know, too," Raven said as the doors shut behind her. She wondered if Cyborg would follow, but he didn't and she knew why. He was trusting her to make sure that Beast Boy wouldn't be running in the near future. Several minutes later she found him in one of the rooms off from the garage. He was laying on the floor, arms wrapped tightly around his torso, feet braced on an old desk. Raven walked in, and lay next to him, gently brushing back his green hair.

"They say it's the wisdom teeth," Beast Boy said finally. Raven didn't push him, knowing from experience that Beast Boy would tell her everything, but at his own speed. Her friend wasn't looking at her, instead focusing on the grey ceiling above them, and Raven pretended not to notice the slight tremor in his fingers as they danced to a silent beat.

"Did you know that canines have wisdom teeth, too?" Beast Boy told her. Raven rubbed a circle into Beast Boy's temple. She could feel the stress pouring out of him in waves. "When they did the x-rays they said I have four human ones…and then two canine ones in my lower jaw."

The changeling closed his eyes. "Cyborg didn't believe them until he saw the x-rays himself."

"So, they want to remove them," Raven said. Beast Boy nodded. And there was all the reason for Beast Boy's emotions. Physicals, shots, even x-rays to some extent, didn't bug the boy as much as when the team first formed. However, all of them knew that Beast Boy didn't have much trust in medical figures who weren't Cyborg. For once, Raven wished that they had more solid connections to the medical community in Jump City.

"They scheduled it for Monday," He said dully. Raven sighed and prodded Beast Boy until the two of them were sitting side by side against the desk. Raven grabbed his gloved hand.

"I know you hate it, but its better in the long run," Raven started. Beast Boy opened his mouth, only to be cut off by the empath.

"You're in pain, Gar," Raven said firmly. Beast Boy looked away. Raven continued gently.

"Cyborg and I are going with you. Hell, I'm sure Cyborg will right there in room with you," Raven said squeezing his hand. _Plus, he's not going to let you out of his sight until you're back at the tower we're all of us can keep an eye on you_, Raven thought.

Beast Boy moved closer to her and placed his head on her shoulder. Raven didn't rush him back into talking. Her communicator buzzed. Looking down at it she saw it was from Robin.

**Scale of one to ten**

In the early years of the team, Robin had come up with a system of getting his teammates to rate how they were feeling without admitting to any specific problem. One was the lowest, ten being the highest, and it worked pretty well in situations like these.

"It's the scale isn't it?" Beast Boy asked. Raven almost smiled. It was almost funny how Robin appeared to be stoic like her, but at the mention of one of his friends being hurt he turned into the world's biggest mother hen.

"Ya, he's just worried about you," Raven told him. Beast Boy fidgeted for a moment before replying.

"Six," He answered. Raven typed out quickly before putting the device away. For a while neither of them talked, simply gaining their footing in the silence, and it was a long time until her friend talked again.

"Sometimes animals process the anesthesia at a faster pace than humans," Beast Boy said. Raven nodded.

"Beast Boy, you aren't an-" Raven began. This time Beast Boy cut her off.

"No, but I have the DNA, Rae," Beast Boy said, "It could happen."

Raven grabbed his face in her hands. "Beast Boy, listen to me. I know you're worried, but we aren't going to let anything bad happen to you. Cyborg and I are going to go with you, and stay right there until you come back home. I promise."

The two of them stayed down in the room for a while, long enough to get the other three members of the titans looking for them. When they did find them, it was to the sight of the empath and changeling sleeping peacefully, Raven's arms wrapped around Beast Boy, and his head on her shoulder. Cyborg, Starfire, and Robin wisely shut the door, and quietly made their way back upstairs.

* * *

Monday came quickly. The four of them had tried, unsuccessfully, to distract Beast Boy from the impending surgery, but nothing worked for long. Robin had tried several times to distract his friend with night patrols and all Batman tales. Starfire tried playing up her adorable nature and dragged Beast Boy to nearly every park in Jump City. Cyborg had been trying to get Beast Boy suitably involved with a new videogame, one of those kinds that involved solving tons of puzzles to advance in the games, and while it worked for a while it didn't take the edge off. Raven, for all purposes, had glued herself to his best friend's side with no intention of leaving anytime soon.

The plan looked simple on paper. The surgery was for ten in the morning, Robin had called Jinx and Kid Flash in just in case the city needed it, and Cyborg and Raven were going with Beast Boy to the dentist. Robin and Starfire would be holding down the fort until they got back. And then all of them could slip into that whole "over-protective team, don't mess with us" till Beast Boy was healed.

Robin had told Cyborg to send him out to the pharmacy the second he got the prescription so they wouldn't be wasting time. Starfire, who was anxious and more than a little concerned at this type of procedure since there was nothing like it on her home planet, was quiet possibly hoarding stuffed animals in hopes of making her friend feel better when he came home.

The car ride over was tense. Cyborg was focusing on the road, the sounds of the radio doing nothing to sooth his nerves. Raven was in the back with Beast Boy, and while he could make out undertones of them speaking he couldn't figure out what the words were. Not that it mattered; he hated this whole situation just as much as his buddy did. It was just going to be worse for him then it was for the older teen; Cyborg only had two wisdom teeth, Beast Boy had six.

They pulled into the parking lot. With shoulder squared, Cyborg made sure everything was set to go, and Raven gave a rare hug to Beast Boy before her boys walked through the doors and operating room.

"I'll see you when you get done," Raven said. Beast Boy gave a chuckle.

"Right, when I'm all drugged up," Beast Boy replied. Raven rolled her eyes.

"We'll take care of you," Raven said firmly. And with that he was gone.

Raven tried to distract herself, but old magazines dating back to 2007 weren't helping. If anything, they were just making it worse. She reached out, trying to sense Beast Boy's aura; it was dim right now, probably from the anesthesia, but Cyborg's was easy to pick out next. Worry, impatience, and general protectiveness radiated from his frame. Raven had to bite back a smile; it wasn't taking long for Cyborg to fully turn on his "big brother" switch, something that Robin was probably doing back at the tower.

A buzz from her pocket brought a sigh to her lips. It was Starfire again. She and Robin had been trading off calling every twenty minutes. It was bad enough that they were calling her for news that she didn't have. The clock seemed to be ticking slower and slower. Raven was seconds away from possibly leveling the building next door when one of the assistants called her name.

With a speed that would have made Kid Flash proud Raven bolted to where her two boys were. Cyborg was crouched in front of Beast Boy, obviously saying something but his voice was so low and soft Raven couldn't make it out. Cyborg turned as she came in.

"He's really out of it, so I wouldn't try to get much out of him," Cyborg informed her. Raven didn't care. All that mattered was that it was over and they could finally take him home. And suddenly, Raven wondered if this was how Beast Boy felt every time one of them got hurt. That he didn't feel secure until they were back at the tower, where they could defend their own. That was certainly how Raven was feeling at the moment.

Raven walked to the other side of the chair, not even noticing Cyborg standing up.

"I'm going to get the rest of his papers and bring the car in front," Cyborg said. Raven hummed, but focused on the boy in front of her.

Beast Boy looked like hell. While his face wasn't swollen yet, his eyes were starting to blacken. If this wasn't a side effect that they had been warned about before the surgery, Raven would probably be chewing out the medical staff. Instead, Raven let her walls down.

"Sh, I'm here," Raven soothed as rested her head on top of his. Beast Boy didn't respond, probably too zoned out from the pain meds, and at that moment Raven was glad for it; she didn't want any pointless pain for him.

The rest of the day pasted by in a blur. She knew Cyborg took him away from her, but only for a few moments, and she spent the majority of the time on the way home paying close attention to her best friend. But there were other things she noticed too.

Like how Robin made sure that the warmest, softest blanket was covering their friend when they got him back in the tower. Or how Starfire sang some sort of soft Tameranian song when the medication started to wear off. She smiled when Cyborg displayed all his big brother glory when it was finally time for them to change the dressings or administer the next pain dose.

They slept on the hard floor in the common room, none of them planning on leaving. It remained that way until the last stitch was out and their Beast Boy was finally smiling again.

* * *

Author's Note: I'm really happy about how this one turned out. In other news, the beast of a story I'm currently working almost has the first part finished. Another clue to that: Mumbo is going to featured. Read and Review minions!


	24. Number 92 Sleep Watching BBxRae

Number 92

It was the scent of lavender that woke him up. Rousing slowly, Gar tried to blink the heavy effects of sleep from his eyes, mind not quite catching up to his body. The figure next to him shifted.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep," Raven said softly. He noticed she wasn't wearing her clock, swapping it out for one of his sweatshirts. Gar sighed, moving to sit against the headboard of the bed. Raven sat next to him, and he didn't comment when she placed her hand right over his heart. Raven didn't talk, and Gar didn't force her too, choosing instead to rub her back and let her sort out her thoughts.

"I thought you were going to die today," Raven blurted out. The changeling looked away. The fight today had gone as badly as it could have. At the last second, they had been ambushed, something that none of them were prepared for. They were already swarmed with masked criminals, part of a new underground assassin ring.

They hadn't noticed the bomb, and when the blast went off he and Starfire had been the closest. Star had been fine, thank Azar. Beast Boy, however, had gotten all the shrapnel. When he went down, Robin had been the first one to get to him; from the amount of blood on the ground you would think that Beast Boy had suffered from severe blood loss. But the changeling had gotten lucky and only suffered from some deep lacerations and a minor concussion. Raven was relived and after her boyfriend had been all cleared from Cyborg she had spent several hours on the roof mediating.

"Rae, I'm right here," Gar reassured her gently, pulling Raven back into the present. The girl shook her head.

"When you went down, I thought that I would lose you," Raven started. "We couldn't see you with the dust and debris, and Starfire was so confused, and we didn't know how close the blast was to you." His girlfriend swallowed and clutched his hands tighter.

"I know that you're ok now, but for a moment I thought I would lose you…and I don't know how I would survive if that happened." Raven finished.

Beast Boy sighed and pulled Raven to his chest. The empath situated herself on his chest, so her head was over his heart, the beat of his heart soothing her and confirming that he was still alive and whole.

"Rae, I'm not going to tell you that stuff like this isn't going to happen again," Gar said. Raven opened her mouth to reply but he shushed her. "No, listen to me, Raven."

Raven frowned; it wasn't often that he used her full name, so whatever he had to say to her had to be serious.

"I won't promise you that I won't get hurt again," Beast Boy started again. "But I will promise that if the worst happens I'll try my best to get back to you."

Raven looked at him, and for once the girl was speechless. It wasn't often that he was the one that made her lose her tongue, but when it did happen it always took her by surprise. Raven often wondered how many people really knew what went on between them when the doors where closed. Then she dismissed that thought; what happened between the two of them was their business and no one else's. This included Gar's promises to her, ones that weren't the lovey dovey kind, but serious ones that he knew she would appreciate with all her being.

"Thank you," Raven said. Shifting closer to him, she placed her head under his chin, her hand resting on the spot above his heart. 'Thank you' seemed inadequate for what he had just told her, but Gar was always more perceptive at understanding her words than other people.

Thank you for being here for me. Thank you for fighting for me. Thank you for reassuring me.

Promises no one had ever bothered to make for her before. Promises that were never even meant for her before. She clutched him close as she began to fall back asleep.

Thank you for loving me.

* * *

Author's Note: Here's some BBxRae for you day. Read and Review guys!


	25. Number 95 The vacuum

Number 95

"Mal, tetu, morceau de merde!"

From the common room, Robin chuckled at the kitchen table before shaking his head and standing up to get a fork. Placing the utensil on the table, Robin went back to his paper, looking up only when the doors opened and a rather annoyed Beast Boy walked in.

Trying to placate his youngest, Robin help the fork up and gave his most charming smile, knowing that a happy Beast Boy was a happy tower and no one wanted a cranky changeling in addition to Raven's mood swings.

"What'd it do this time, bunny?" Robin asked as Beast Boy stalked into the room.

"It took my stupid sock again," Beast Boy fumed, taking the offered fork, before walking out of the room with something akin to murder in his eyes. Robin laughed before putting his paper away and following out in Beast Boy's wake. It wasn't hard to find him.

The changeling was in the doorway of his room, fork in hand, face pinched, muttering under his breath. From this angle, Robin practically see the agitation rolling off his youngest.

"Beast Boy?"

The boy glanced up before going back to his task at hand.

"What?"

"How long have you been battling the vacuum?" Robin ask as he sat down across from his teammate. Beast boy shrugged, angling the vacuum so that he could see the bottom of the contraption more clearly. Robin almost broke out in laughter; you would that the vacuum had committed some next level crime with the glare Beast Boy was leveling it with.

"Long enough, I just want me sock back," Beast Boy said. Robin nodded. Suddenly, Beast Boy dropped the fork.

"Got you," Beast Boy said, taking his sock back before shooting the vacuum a rather heated glare.

Robin couldn't hold it anymore; he started to laugh. The look on Beast Boy's face was even better. The changeling couldn't decide whether to ask why his leader was shaking with laughter in his doorway, but he didn't ask. Getting Robin to laugh was a task in itself; if he managed to do it, well, points to him.

Shaking his head, Beast Boy grabbed the sock death trap and dragged it back to the closet, making sure to hit every corner, praying for the thing to fall apart.

He and Cyborg had been trying for the better part of three years to break it and it still survived. They tried pushing it down stairs, bashing it into things, even kicking and hitting it, and nothing worked. They couldn't get a new vacuum until this one broke; that was the rule with any appliances they had at the tower.

Later that day, Robin and Beast Boy were trying their hand with technology again. This time with the microwave; it was painful watching the boy wonder get defeated by an Easy Mac.

"Just give it to me," Beast Boy finally after the third try. Robin frowned.

"I can do it," Robin fired back. Beast Boy didn't budge, choosing instead to hold the container away from his friend.

"Robin, I know you want to win against the microwave, but you just nuked three of these, and Raven went shopping yesterday. I'll do this one and we can try again later," Beast Boy explained. Robin grumbled, but let go of the Easy Mac.

Not five minutes later, as Robin was stirring his lunch, and Beast Boy was enjoying an orange, there was a loud bang from the floor below them. With reflexes that had been honed in for years, Robin and Beast Boy sprinted down the stairs to the lower floor. When they got there, they couldn't help but laugh.

Cyborg was covered in dust. Beside him, Raven was fuming, her clean blue cape now gray. Beast Boy tried to ask a question but he was laughing too hard. Robin tried to gain some control, but every time he looked at his teammates he dissolved into laughter.

Eventually he managed to calm down and asked what happened.

"The thing just…exploded," Raven said throwing a glare in Cyborg's direction.

"Ya man, I don't know how it happened," Cyborg said innocently. Robin raised his eyebrow, but didn't press for answers.

"Alright, go get Star, you know the rules," Robin said. Cyborg raced off, pulling Beast Boy with him. Robin looked at Raven.

"He blasted it, didn't he?"

"You can't prove it, and the rule is no new vacuum until the other one croaks," Raven retorted. Shaking his head, Robin walked down the hall after his teammates.

The evil vacuum had finally been defeated.

* * *

Author's Note: Here, have some fun times in the tower. If you haven't yet, check out The Two Littlest Titans! Read and Review Minions :)


	26. Number 12 Cuddly Robin

Number 12

Robin wasn't a touchy feely sort of person.

It wasn't a big secret, anyone could tell, but the only people Robin ever did drop his walls for, which were pretty big, was his team. Sure, it seems like the appropriate response, who better to trust your most vulnerable parts with then the people who watch your back in battle each day. Robin trusted his team with his life…he was just awful at showing them how much it meant to him.

He tried to show them in other ways; a new book for Raven, gourmet mustard for Star. It was shown in him throwing an extra hundred at Cyborg for the T-Car when he could, or placing a new marker or drawing pad on Beast Boy's bed.

Robin cared for his team and he wasn't about to let them live without them knowing it.

But there were times where he wished he could do more. Starfire was good at consoling, and Cyborg gave good pep talks. Robin was a good supporter, but he didn't have the easy nature with people like Beast Boy did, or the soft hand with children like Raven.

However, Robin did have a hidden talent.

Robin knew how his team responded to touch. Cyborg was a shoulder pat guy, and Starfire liked hugs. Raven was must more resistant to touch, but she was now warming up to the idea of brief one sided hugs. Beast Boy usually got his hair ruffled, the kid brother response, but Robin had a card that he played for all of them.

Cuddling, a natural response to promote bonding and closeness, was a tactic that Robin slowly introduced to the team. Starfire was the first to accept it, but the other three were other stories.

Cyborg wasn't a cuddly guy. He put up with hugs from the girls, and sometimes gave a bear hug to Beast Boy when the situation called for it, and almost never hugged Robin. The boy wonder didn't resent him for that; Robin didn't come off as a cuddly huggable guy.

Robin broke that idea that Cyborg had of him a year ago. He had run into someone from his days in high school, one of the few people who still saw him as freak, and he was brooding in the garage.

Robin had snuck up behind him and gave him a hug. It was awkward to say the least; Robin could barely fit his arms around Cyborg's large frame, and Cyborg was standing still as if he was on a land mine.

"Robin, what are you doing?" Cyborg asked slowly. Robin adjusted his grip.

"Hugging you," Robin said simply. Cyborg nodded.

"Ok, then," Cyborg replied. And that was that.

Raven wasn't about at cuddly as a cactus. Well, maybe towards him. Raven likely let Beast Boy get away with murder with these things, but strangely enough neither of them let anything slip.

It was their first night back in the tower after being away for a whole year. It was late, and they were the only two still awake.

"A lot's change," Raven said. Robin didn't reply, too lost in his own thoughts.

"I know it's stupid to think that everything would stay the same, but I wish it did," Raven continued. Robin looked up. From this angle, and with the light on her face, Raven looked so much older than 16.

They all had aged over this past year.

"No, all of wished the world would have stayed the same. It would make explaining this so much simpler." Robin said. Raven shrugged and sighed.

Robin hadn't thought of that, of how hard it was going to be to explain what had happened, particularly with their connections to the Doom Patrol, but Robin ignored all of that.

In a spur of the moment decision, Robin rounded the table and gave Raven a hug. Raven didn't move for a second, but her arms slowly came up and around him.

They didn't think about what the media was going to say about the war, or where the new titans would live, or anything else. At that moment, Robin couldn't care about anything less than being home finally.

Beast Boy probably was the easiest. In the beginning of the team's formation, he, along with the other members, had been hesitant to touch. Now, he was the most receptive next to Starfire. When they had a call, and one of the shelters for the city's strays had been destroyed, Beast Boy was upset. Later that night, Robin decided that there had been enough frowns on his youngest and hunted him down.

He found Beast Boy on the roof, drawing pad in hand. With no warning Robin wrapped his arms around him and pulled Beast Boy to his chest. Beast Boy struggled for a moment, before relaxing.

"What are you doing?"

"Hugging you."

"..Why?"

"Because I want to, you're sad, and I suck at pep talks."

Robin got a small chuckled from that and spent the rest of the evening on the roof with his friend.

* * *

Author's Note: Hello minions! Read and Review this one :) also, check out "The Two Littlest Titans" if you haven't already. The second chapter will be up next week. Also check out the poll for which story you want to see next


	27. Number 19 Blushing Robin

Number 19

This was officially the worst day ever.

Well, maybe not the worst, but it was certainly making its way up to being the most annoying. Robin was not sulking, no matter what his body language said, and hiding from another one of Raven's lectures on being an idiot boy wonder. He bit his lip to distract himself from scratching the cast on his ankle, but the ruler on the other side of the room was looking very tempting.

He shook his head. No, he wouldn't move, and would not be responsible for getting yelled at again by Raven.

Currently, the empath had been taken out of the tower by her green skinned boyfriend "for the safety of a certain masked idiot with a death wish". Cyborg had given up trying to knock some sense into his skull an hour ago and was currently in the garage fixing the R-Cycle. Starfire had disappeared a while ago, and Robin wasn't sure if she had grown bored sitting with him or she had just become so annoyed at him that she could look at him anymore today.

With a groan, Robin thought about his options. No fighting. No patrols. No sparing.

And this left Robin very bored, in a terrible mood, and in no rush to please anyone. Perhaps this was why everyone had left him alone for the day. He couldn't blame them; this week Robin had been a royal pain in the ass, yelling at his team for everything under the sun. So, he figured he was due to get his own ass kicked, and it came in the form of Raven not healing his broken bones again for this week.

So, here he was: stuck on bedrest until his ankle healed, sans happy teammates, and completely, utterly, bored.

"Robin?" Starfire's voice called out bringing him out of his self-depressing funk. The boy wonder turned around on the couch to see his girlfriend holding several things in her hands.

There was a few softer pillows, the plaid blanket that was his favorite, and several movies from his friend's private stash. He saw Cyborg's _Titanic_ movie, as well as Raven's _Chronicles of Narnia_ and Beast Boy's _National Treasure_. Robin raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing?" Robin asked as she sat down next to him on the couch. Starfire smiled lightly at him.

"You have been brooding enough, boyfriend Robin." Starfire explained as she organized her load on the coffee table. She grabbed the blanket and draped it over him, intentionally throwing it over his head so his face was covered. With a chuckle Robin pulled it off and was met with a light peck to the nose.

Raising an eyebrow, Robin questioned his girlfriend.

"What was that for?" He asked. Starfire smile as she held up the DVD's.

"Because I wanted to kiss you. Pick a movie," Starfire said. Robin selected _The Chronicles of Narnia_, not because it was his favorite movie to watch when he was feeling like crap.

Within moments, the opening to the movie was playing and Robin was snuggled up next to his girlfriend. Halfway through the movie, Starfire pinched his arm.

"Ow, what was that for?" Robin asked as he rubbed his arm. Starfire smiled lightly.

"For being a jerk this week," Starfire said. "If Beast Boy had not calmed Raven down, she would most likely have smacked you."

Robin chuckled, but didn't disagree with her. He knew he had messed up this week and it would be a few days until he was back in everyone's good graces. Some begging may be necessary.

"I'm sorry," Robin said as he nuzzled her neck. Starfire giggled, and shifted so she could reach something on the table. She grabbed a green pen and leaned forward so she could write something on his cast.

Robin didn't try to see what she was doing, patiently waiting to see what she was putting on his ankle. A few minutes later, Starfire sat up and snuggled up next to him again.

On his ankle, Robin now had Starfire's signature, a "This is what happens when I'm a klorbag", and a large colored in heart.

Robin could feel himself blushing hard.

"What's all of this for?" Robin ask as he ran his fingers through her hair. Starfire sighed in contentment when he rubbed over a sensitive part of her scalp.

"To remind you that even though you were rude this week, I still love you," Starfire said with a kiss to the cheek. Robin laughed.

"And the others? Think they still love me?" Robin teased. He knew his team; he might have been an ass, but as Cyborg put it, "You're our ass, man."

'I think they could be persuaded," Starfire murmured against his lips. With a smile, Starfire pressed her lips to his, and Robin was in bliss.

* * *

Author's Note: (Reaches up from piles of homework and stress) Next piece of this story arch. I really like how this one turned out. Read and Review guys and if you haven't yet go vote for which story you want to see next :) Have a good week lovelys!


	28. Number 28 Scars of a Changeling

Number 28

Standing too close when the explosion went off. Held and tortured for information for three days. Thrown across several roofs before stopping. Accidents like these were so heartbreakingly _common_ to Beast Boy it made the other four stop for a moment.

Robin knew better than most that the Doom Patrol didn't screw around. He knew that whatever people his friend's old team took care of were people who wouldn't hesitate to kill. Robin was introduced to that glaring problem as he got older with Batman; it was in Beast Boy's face from the moment he started to fight.

They all had scars. In their line of work, it was impossible not to have any. Instead of sharing tales of funny moments on how they got them, they told tales of how lucky they were to _survive _them and only gain the scar.

It had taken years before Beast Boy actually said anything about how he got the marks on his body. There were dozens of them, no doubt the bulk of them coming from his days with the Doom Patrol. However, they only knew about a handful of the scars.

That left all of them reeling and wondering.

It was one thing to be secretive about something…but Beast Boy was so _open_ about everything. If he was keeping those tales a secret from them it was for a good reason.

They didn't force the stories out; if there was one thing they learned after living together was that it was better to let Beast Boy seek you out, forcing him would make him run and set you back months.

So they waited, patiently, and eventually they got the answers to some of their questions.

The scar spanning his left shoulder was from a blast that he hadn't been able to get away from in time. The two twisting ones on his right calf were from a lynching trap that had been set for Mento and he had found it instead. Beast Boy told them he and Negative Man had similar scars on their ribs from the Brotherhood of Evil.

Beast Boy never outright told them what the stories were, but when he did tell them, they were left with more questions than answers.

There was a reason Beast Boy only took off his gloves with them; his palms had been so scarred due to torture sessions when he and others had been captured. When swimming, he kept a shirt on so no one saw all the marks on his back and stomach.

They were slowly learning the stories to go with the old faded wounds, and they would be damned if they did nothing about it.

Which was why whenever the gloves came off Starfire would be holding his hand in some form. Robin and Cyborg rubbed the scars on his back. Raven though, not for many years, would be the only one to touch each one late at night.

The stories slowly came out easier years later.

There was a large patchy scar on the side of his knee from being thrown into a pile of rocks. He hadn't shifted it time to avoid it. There were several smaller ones on his arms from flying shrapnel, but those were so faded that a person couldn't spot them unless they were looking closely at them.

There were small incisions on his stomach, cut professionally, but the only physical signs of torture sessions when Doom Patrol missions went wrong. It made the others wonder what would drive the villains in Jump city to use torture methods. They couldn't answer.

They learned to stare down people who were prone to asking insensitive questions about the marks. Strangely enough if a kid asked Beast Boy didn't lie. Sometime ago Beast Boy had told them that kids were smart enough to know when they were being lied to.

There were still many stories, and many more questions, but they were patient. With time they were certain that Beast Boy would tell them everything, and until then they would have to be satisfied with the answers and stories they got.

Later at night, and if they were having one of their many sleepovers, they would look gently at the marks, wondering about the ones that hadn't had their tales told yet, and run their fingers over them. If Beast Boy figured they did this as he slept, he never said anything.

There were still untold horrors, still plenty of nightmares, and more than once they had seen him rubbing some long faded injury.

But they weren't going to let Beast Boy brush this off. Every story was carefully cataloged, and the scars after were sought after until their friend felt comfortable enough to bring them out into the open.

Every single unknown scar.

* * *

Author's Note: School is literally kicking my ass right now...but here's an update! Soon the next chapter of The Two Littlest Titans will be posted. Read and Review minions!


	29. Number 42 Halloween

Number 42

Robin, dressed in his costume grab, walked down the hall looking for his partner. Beast Boy was tying his shoes in the common room. Robin laughed when he saw how he was dressed.

"You weren't kidding when you said you got everything," Robin said with a grin. Beast Boy smiled at him as he finished.

"Hey, I take Halloween seriously, if you're going to dress up, you might as well go all out," Beast Boy said as he stood up to show off his costume. This year for Halloween, Robin and Beast Boy had decided to team up for a costume idea. It was also a plan to beat Speedy and Aqualad at the annual costume contest; Robin's pride couldn't handle not winning for the fourth year in a row.

This year they dressed up as zombie hunters, specifically Columbus and Tallahassee from Zombieland. Robin was liking his new hat and Beast Boy got a kick out of swinging his hammer from the clown scene around.

"Alright, we're all set, let's go get the others," Robin said. Beast Boy followed him out and punched the button for the elevator.

"I think Raven said they would be waiting in the garage," Beast Boy told him. Robin nodded and they rode the elevator in content silence. But when the doors opened, the garage was empty.

Robin frowned.

"You sure it was the garage?" Robin asked. Beast Boy nodded and stepped out.

"Ya, Rae said they would be waiting by the car," The changeling said. Robin walked farther into the room, and both boys jumped when the lights went out.

"What the hell?" Robin exclaimed. Beast Boy set his hammer down.

"Could have been a power surge," He offered. Robin groaned.

"Come on, let's look for the power box, then find the others," Robin said. They walked farther into the room, and behind the bowler was the power box. Robin frowned when the fuses were fine.

"None of them are damaged," Robin said slowly. Beast Boy blinked.

"What? The power just went out," Beast Boy said as he leaned in to double check.

A loud beep had both boys spinning around.

In front of them was a spinning chair. On it was a piece of paper and two objects.

_Choose one – flashlight or door key_

"What is this?" Robin asked aloud. Beast Boy picked up the two objects.

"It says pick one," The green boy glanced at him. "I would take the flashlight, you can't exactly see in the dark."

Robin frowned but nodded.

"Ok, give me the flashlight, now let's go find the others," Robin said. The two of them moved slowly through the garage and made it to the stairs. Robin swore.

"We need the door key," Robin said, indicating to the card swipe. Beast Boy groaned.

"I got it, hold on," He muttered. A few moments later, Robin heard Beast Boy swear.

"You ok?" Robin asked. Beast Boy came over, frowning heavily and without the card.

"It was gone," He said flatly. Robin rubbed his face.

"Ok, so if you can get under the door-" Robin began and was promptly cut off.

A loud groan echoed through the garage. Beast Boy turned towards the sound.

"What was that?" He asked slowly. Robin shook his head.

"I don't know, but let's find out," The boy wonder said as he walked forward. Beast Boy rolled his eyes.

"Yes, let's go towards the creepy sound in the dark, perfect plan," Beast Boy said, "See, this is why people die in horror movies, no common sense."

However, before the changeling got to his teammate, Robin was sprinting back.

"Run!" Robin yelled. Beast Boy didn't have to wait long; behind him, several zombies – actual zombies – were running behind him. Turning on his heel, Beast Boy ran after Robin. They got to the T-Car, intending to find it open, but it wasn't. At this point there were over seven zombies in the garage.

"How did they get in?" Beast Boy asked as he grabbed his hammer. Next to him, Robin clutched a shovel he found closer.

"Don't know, take care of the zombies, worry about the rest later," Robin ordered. Beast Boy rolled his shoulders and eyed the zombie closest to him.

* * *

It went on forever. Robin didn't know where they had come from; as soon as one zombie went down, another one came. Beast Boy and him didn't know how long they had been here, didn't know where their friends were, didn't know how this had happened.

Robin knew they were in serious trouble when he realized that they were surrounded.

"What now?" Beast Boy asked as he dodged a decaying hand. Robin swallowed.

"I-" Robin didn't get a chance to finish. Around them, the world dissolved into white and then he knew no more.

* * *

Robin woke up with a groan on the couch of the common room. Beast Boy was next to him rubbing his forehead.

"So, did you enjoy your Halloween treat?" Cyborg asked with the largest grin. Robin frowned.

"What?" He asked dumbly. Cyborg laughed.

Raven stepped up next to him and with a wave, conjured up a zombie. Both boys sat on the couch still as a pair of statues.

Starfire giggled from Robin's side.

"Ok," Beast Boy said slowly, "so I'm right in assuming we've just gotten played?"

Grinning widely, Raven nodded. Robin placed his head in his hands.

"Screw it, next year all we're doing is handing out candy," Robin muttered. Beside him, Beast Boy agreed.

* * *

Author's Note: Hello minions! Enjoy another dose of Robin/Beast Boy friendship. Also me and my betta fish (his name is Nightwing) want to thank you guys for getting this story over 150 reviews!


	30. Number 56 Blanket Hogs

We're at 155 reviews you guys are amazing! Nightwing and I both send you multiple air hugs.

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Number 56

Raven woke up feeling cold. Glaring at the ceiling, the empath sat up and surveyed her options. Robin and Starfire were cuddled together, hogging the two comfiest blankets, so she didn't have a chance at getting those two. Looking to her right, Raven tried to find her options over taking the blanket away from her boyfriend.

Looking down, all Raven could see was a tuff of green hair; when he slept, Beast Boy would enviably bury himself in whatever blanket he could find. Robin always worried if he was getting enough air, but they had tested that theory long ago. Cyborg still couldn't believe that Beast Boy could punch that hard.

Raven shuffled forward and pushed away some of the blanket so she had access to his ear. She ran her finger along the ridge and a gloveless hand brushed her finger away. Raven smiled lightly.

"Gar," Raven whispered so that she didn't wake the others. A soft mutter was her answer. Raven tried again.

"Come on, wake up for a second," Raven said as she tried to get some edge of the blanket loose. That seemed to get her boyfriend's attention.

"Rae, stop it," He said sleepily. Raven leaned in close to his head.

"Pretty please," Raven said sweetly. One thing she had learned was that her boyfriend was adorably cute when he was half-asleep; it made getting him to do things or say things much more easily. Such as giving up the blanket.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he rolled over so Raven was looming over him. Raven ran her fingers through his hair.

"I'm cold, Gar," Raven said and pulled the blanket for emphasis. "Let go for a second then we can cuddle and go back to sleep."

Raven waited for his answer. It was best to give Beast Boy a few moments to wake up from sleep; Cyborg told her once that it took a while for him to enter a deep sleep and much longer to become aware when he finally woke up.

Slowly untangling himself from the blanket, Gar lifted his arm up. Raven settled in, snuggling close to his shoulder, and revealed in the warmth. Wrapping his arms around her, and pressing a soft kiss to her hairline, Raven watched as her boyfriend fell back asleep. Following his example, Raven closed her eyes and drifted.

* * *

A grunt woke her the second time. Raising her head from Gar's chest, Raven blinked sleep away from her eyes and squinted as the early morning rays of sun entered the room. Finding the source of the noise, Raven gently sat up, taking care not to wake the boy beside her. She didn't need to worry; Gar merely rubbed his nose and rolled over.

Cyborg was sitting on the ground, which was odd, since he had started the night on the couch. The older teen was frowning heavily and glanced up once he felt a pair of eyes on him. Cyborg leaned back.

"Thieves, the both of them," Cyborg grumbled as he shot a glare at the two lovebirds on the floor. Raven raised an eyebrow. Cyborg elaborated for her.

"They took my blanket, the only one I was able to grab," Cyborg said. Raven thought for a moment before leaving the warm cocoon of warmth. Making sure the blanket was covering Gar, Raven stood over Starfire and Robin. The blanket that had been Cyborg's was currently being used for the boy wonder.

It wasn't surprising; Robin had a habit of stealing blankets in the middle of the night. Blanket hogging boy wonder.

"Maybe we could tear it away from him," Raven suggested. Cyborg shrugged and stood up.

"I'm willing to try anything," He said. Raven pointed to a corner of the blanket near Robin's feet.

"Take that end and pull," Raven ordered. Looking at the sleeping couple, Raven spotted another open corner near Starfire's head; risky, but it increased the chances of success. Crouching down, Raven slowly slipped her hand in to grasp the soft fabric. Thankfully, Starfire didn't stir. Looking up, Cyborg had grasped his end.

Mouthing her words, Raven counted to three. They both pulled, but horribly underestimated the pair. With a shock, both of them fell forward, hitting Robin and Starfire with a loud thud. Instantly, Robin started to yelled and Starfire broke her hands free, which caused Raven to dive away, praying she wouldn't get hit.

"What the hell are you guys doing?"

The four of them stopped; Robin and Cyborg was in the middle of starting a yelling match, and Starfire lowered her arms in favor of fixing Raven's cloak. Beast Boy was glaring at all of them with as much annoyance as he could for someone who had just woken up.

"He started it!" Cyborg said. Robin shoved him off his lap. Before the two could start again, Beast Boy held up his hand.

"No, forget it, it's too early for this," He said as he stood up, still with his own blanket around his shoulders. "You guys fight it out, I'm going to sleep somewhere without the audio track from world war 3."

Walking out of the room, and taking Raven with him, the other three just stared at his retreating back as the fight for the blanket ensured again.

* * *

Author's Note: Hello minions! Here is another one to enjoy, read, and review! If you guys haven't voted yet, go to my poll and do so. Also, finals are next week and then I'm off to Disney in Florida! So for that week I won't be posting. The good news is I'll be on break so I can post more times a week. Alright, happy smiles guys summer is almost upon us :)


	31. Number 76 Worried Titans

We're at 162 reviews! You guys are awesome. Also, enjoy another fic with sleep titans, since it's finals week for me and sleep has left my life. Nightwing and I are sending out many air hugs.

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Number 76

Just as he was about to fall asleep, Beast Boy was woken up again by a knock on his door. Staring up at the ceiling, hoping that the unwelcome stealer of sleep would leave, Beast Boy rolled up and buried himself in his sheets. The knocker, however, wasn't going away. Groaning lightly, Beast Boy slowly sat up, cringing a bit as the muscles in his back and shoulders spasmed; if this was what girls felt like during that time of the month, he wasn't going to say one bad word about it. Moving carefully and slowly he stood.

By the time he reached the door, Beast Boy was in no mood to deal with whoever was knocking. His muscles were screaming and his head was throbbing. There was a reason that Beast Boy never used his primal form unless it was his last option. He had gotten better control over it to the point where he was finally in control, not his instincts, but he was still left recovering for a few days after shifting. Leaning against the door frame, and massaging his temples to get the pounding to stop, Beast Boy punched in the access code carefully.

Robin was standing outside, hand posed to knock again, and lowered it slowly when he saw the unimpressed look Beast Boy was giving him.

"What's up, Rob?" Beast Boy said dully and he leaned against the door frame. It was taking a lot of effort to not fall asleep standing up. Robin scratched the back of his head.

"I was just, um, checking," Robin stuttered, "on you, take make sure everything was ok."

Beast Boy closed his eyes.

"I'm fine, Robin, I just really need to sleep," Beast Boy told him. Robin looked apologetic.

'I woke you up, didn't I?" Robin realized. Beast Boy opened his eyes and gave him a small smile.

"Ya, but it wasn't the first time," Beast Boy said, not having the energy to help Robin feel better.

"Oh, well," Robin started then he stopped, "wait, who else woke you up?"

"Who else lives here, Robin," Beast Boy replied. Robin bit his lip.

"I'll tell the others to back off for a bit, so you can sleep," Robin said. Looking down the hall, Robin and Beast Boy turned when they heard the telltale signs of Cyborg coming. The android raised his eyebrows at his two friends.

"What are you doing?" Cyborg asked as he got closer. Robin shuffled his feet and Beast Boy groaned as he rolled his shoulders. Robin and Cyborg both winced when they heard the pop.

"I was sleeping," Beast Boy said. Cyborg frowned at Robin.

"Nice job, Rob," Cyborg said with a glare. Robin opened his mouth to retort.

"Don't start, either of you," Beast Boy muttered. "If you plan to, go somewhere else."

Cyborg and Robin both stared at him before looking at each other.

"Sorry, B, it's just, today," Cyborg tried to talk. Beast Boy understood the concern; nothing scared his friends more than when he or Raven lost control and went somewhere that they couldn't follow.

"We should leave," Robin said after an ackward pause. "You need to rest." Cyborg opened his mouth to respond, but Robin hit him in the arm.

"Come on, we can talk more in the morning," Robin said. With a frown directed at the boy wonder, and an extremely gentle hair ruffle, the two boys walked back down the hall. Beast Boy shook his head fondly and slowly made his way back to bed.

Moments later he was fast asleep.

X

It was dark by the time Beast Boy woke up again. Stretching, and taking care not to wince at the crack his back and shoulder gave, he glanced over at his clock. It was just a bit after eight; everyone should still be awake.

Walking out of his room and punching the button for the elevator. A few minutes later he was walking through the common room and being ambushed by a blur of orange and purple.

"Friend, you have awaken!" Starfire exclaimed as she tackled him. Beast Boy tried not to fall over and reached up to pat her back several times.

"Hey Star," Beast Boy said as she finally let him go. Cyborg was there and pushed him to the couch where he placed his scanner on his forehead. Raven sat down next to him and placed a gently kiss on his temple.

"Do you sleep?" Raven asked. Smiling and leaning into her shoulder Beast Boy got comfortable.

"Yes," Beast Boy assured her. Raven ran her hand up and down his arm. Cyborg straightened up.

"Scans good," Cyborg announced. "But I still think you're on the bench for a couple days."

"Good, the city's been quiet, all of us can relax," Robin said as he sat down with his coffee.

Eventually all five of them were squished onto the couch and as Cyborg and Robin debated over what show to watch, and Starfire tried to get them to behave, Beast Boy settled in. Raven leaned her head against his and it wasn't long before he drifted off again.

* * *

Author's Note: Read and Review guys! Also, if you haven't done the poll on my page do so since I'm almost done with TTLT. If you have finals coming up or right now, good luck!


	32. Number 98 Battle of Temperature

Number 98

Raven pushed her blankets off for the third time tonight with a growl. Glaring at the ceiling, and cursing the boy who shared the same hall as her, Raven stalked out of her room and into the hallway. It was fairly easy to navigate the darkened corridors, since this battle happened almost every week at some point, and plus the object of desire was only just a few steps away from her door and Beast Boy's. There, sitting innocently on the wall, was the thermostat. Cyborg had them placed all over the tower, but he placed this floor's one between her and Beast Boy. The stupid boy probably got a kick out of this, like some sort of private joke. Well, Raven was certainly not laughing, not when it was past 3 am, she could feel the sweat clinging to her back, and she was living with an iguana who had idea that anything above 70 degrees was parallel to living in Hades.

The temperature was set at 83. Raven frowned and set to work changing the temperature, bringing it back down to a reasonable 65 degrees. With a satisfied feeling, and the knowledge that she would be feeling cool again shortly, Raven walked back to her room with a smile on her face.

* * *

Beast Boy hated being cold. Sure, he had the DNA of a ton of creatures, but he had never reacted well to the cold, and being a shape shifter didn't help that. He liked things to be hot, sometimes almost scorching, which always led the others complaining since they couldn't take anything above 80. Well, Starfire could, she didn't mind the heat. Buried beneath several fuzzy blankets, Beast Boy caught the scent of lavender, and groaned.

Of course Raven would change the temperature. Dragging himself out of bed, and into the freezing hall, Beast Boy fixed the settings and placed it back at 83 degrees. Smiling he walked back to his room.

* * *

The next few hours were spent battling over the temperature. When morning rolled around, Raven and Beast Boy both looked like they were ready to kill something. The two of them cornered Cyborg at breakfast.

"You two ok?" Cyborg asked slowly. He knew that Raven could do anything and he wouldn't have a chance of escape. Beast Boy may give him a head start, if he was feeling generous, which he clearly wasn't this morning if the dark circles under his eyes were anything to go by.

"We need you to fix the thermostat." Raven stated. Cyborg frowned.

"Why? I just checked it last week," Cyborg said. Beast Boy shook his head.

"No, man, you need to fix it again," Beast Boy replied.

"This time make two," Raven said.

"And place them _in_ our rooms," Beast Boy pointed out.

"Yes, please, since I don't like being cooked alive," Raven snarled.

"Well, I don't like the feeling of my toes going numb," Beast Boy countered.

Raven rolled her eyes and pointed at Cyborg.

"Fix it, now, today, and you won't be harmed, go it?" Raven threatened. Cyborg nodded, half confused and half afraid. Everyone knew not to mess with a cranky Raven.

"Good, now if you'll excuse me, I need to go shower, I feel disgusting," Raven said. Beast Boy snorted.

"Speak for yourself, my feet are still numb," Beast Boy grumbled.

Cyborg watched as the two stalked out of the room, both complaining still, and the poor android still had no clue what just happened. Sighing, Cyborg dumped his breakfast and made his way to the garage.

Mornings could never be normal in this tower.

* * *

Author's Note: I am back! Disney was amazing and I got some awesome writing ideas, but for now enjoy the update and read and review! Also, the poll is closing today, so if you haven't voted yet do so now! Have a lovely day minions!


	33. Number 99 Team Bonding

Number 99

The city doesn't offer much in terms of rough terrain. Robin knows this well, so he does so heavy research before he first suggests the idea. After all, Robin doesn't suggest anything without placing an incredible amount of thought and effort into it. So, when he announces to Beast Boy one day after their usual sparring match that he wants to go hiking with him, Robin isn't expecting to be met with such low excitement.

"I thought you liked hiking?" Robin asked trying to figure out if he missed something; he was finally getting back on even ground with Beast Boy, he didn't want to lose that. Beast Boy frowned a bit.

"I do, Robin, it's just that we already do stuff together," Beast Boy paused as if he was trying to figure out what words to use, "I mean, don't you have other things to do?"

Robin knew he was busy. Always busy doing something, it wasn't often that he ever took a break. But to hear Beast Boy say something like that, almost like it was a crime to want to do things with him, made him wonder if he had always been neglecting his friends from potential opportunities like this.

"Yes," Robin said carefully, knowing that if he didn't explain this right he was going to shut out again, "But I would like to do other things too, with you, if you don't mind." Robin finished awkwardly. He had never been good with talking about feelings and stuff like this.

Beast Boy studied him for a moment, and Robin distinctly remember that his youngest had a knack for knowing when he was being lied to; something about heart rates and other things along those lines.

"Ok, we can go hiking, I guess," Beast Boy said finally, and Robin was pleased to notice a bit of the usual enthusiasm come back into the changeling's voice. That night, Robin went to bed smiling.

They decided on going to the outskirts of the city; while there were no designated paths, Beast Boy knew where it was safe to go and the areas to avoid. Robin began to pick up things, like how Beast Boy knew exactly where it was ok to step on a risky rock ledge without stuttering, or how to get a good amount of water from the tree bark or cacti. In turn, Robin taught him how to properly use a grappling hook, and how to use finger and foot holes to climb, in the event his friend couldn't shift.

Neither noticed when these trips began to happen more and more until they occurred once a month. The others never asked, but were clearly satisfied that the two of them had found something to do together which didn't require any head butting or paperwork.

It was a stable stepping stone to building a stronger friendship, Robin told himself. Eventually, Beast Boy thought so too.

X

"Friend Raven, please, won't you let me see," Starfire pleaded from the other side of the dressing room door. The empath sighed and almost said she wasn't planning on coming out, not in the outfit, not ever. But it was "girls bonding day", since the boys were doing something together, and Starfire didn't want to have them both sitting on the side lines until it was over. So, off to the mall they went, and it wasn't long before Starfire had placed a blue and silver halter dress into her hands, begging her to try it on.

Raven hated to say no. It may have seemed odd, since she said no frequently, but it was her common answer, and she always felt a stab of fear in her gut thinking that this would be the one to drive them away from her for good. Biting back the usual retort, Raven unlocked the door and stepped out. Starfire's squeals were a good sign, but Raven didn't look in the mirror behind her. No need to get in over her head.

"Turn around, Raven, see how it looks on you," Starfire said pointing to the mirror. Raven frowned.

"Starfire, its fine, really, just let me-" Raven started. But Starfire would have none of it. Spinning the girl around, Starfire stopped her right in front of the mirror. The girl looking back at Raven was completely different.

The halter dress brought out the curves that her cloak usually hid. Her legs were hinted at, her hair contrasted well with the dress. Raven found herself tongue tied. Her hands itched to draw her missing cloak around herself. Starfire hugged her from behind.

"I know you don't like doing things like this," Starfire said softly, "But know this, please, you're allowed to feel things, Raven. Even if you don't tell anyone, _you _can feel them." Giving one last final squeeze, Starfire let go.

"I shall purchase this dress for you," Starfire told her, ignoring the protests. "And when you are ready, you can come back for it."

With a smile, Starfire flew over to the counter to complete the order. Taking a deep breath, Raven looked at the mirror. For a second, Raven allowed herself to _feel_.

For her and Starfire.

X

Cyborg knew almost everything about cars. He could tell you what type of car it was be the sound of the engine. He could change an engine in under five minutes; he had Beast Boy time him once. He can fix the brakes, doing a rapid alignment change, and not even break a sweat.

When Raven came to him, asking him to teach her about cars, he was stunned at first. Raven never asked anyone to teach her. Ever. So, he set off doing just that, teaching her everything she wanted to know.

He showed her how to do an oil change, how to replace the filter for the air conditioner, how to fix a flat tire. As the months went on, Raven began to ask more specific questions and Cyborg found he was only too happy to answer. Robin and Beast Boy never asked him how things worked; in their minds, as long as it did the job, why ask?

The day that Raven installed the replacement engine in the T-Car, Cyborg couldn't have been prouder. Raven had surprised him once again.

"Well, I had a good teacher," Raven said and graced him with a small smile.

He took a picture that day and made a point to give Raven a copy too. Just in case she ever wanted to look back.

X

Art was a fascinating thing on Earth. There were pictures, paintings, sculptures. Anything could be classified as a work of art. When Starfire found out that Beast Boy could draw, she was filled the excitement and begged to learn more. What she got was her green friend teaching her how to draw.

Drawing was an outlet for Beast Boy. One he never talked about, but the others knew not to bug him when he was tucked away somewhere with a sketch pad. Sometimes he would show them pictures, but they were mostly private. Starfire was the first to be able to look through the entire notebook, not just a page or two.

Beast Boy taught her how to draw a cat, a dog, then flowers and trees, mountains, buildings, people. It soon became natural for her to hang up her finished work on his bedroom door, so that it would be the first thing he saw either at the end of the day or the beginning.

For Christmas, they worked together, creating combined pieces for each of their friends, and presenting them together as gifts. Soon, Starfire was getting drawings from Beast Boy, little ones, sometimes ones that took weeks to finish. Each of them were carefully placed in a photo album, just as she knew Beast Boy did for hers, and treasured.

One day, perhaps the others would gain their own albums. Until then, Starfire was more than content to continue their exchanges of art.

* * *

Author's Note: Here's another chapter, one written at a very late hour since I now have an ear infection and the summer insomnia is kicking in. Read and Review guys!


	34. Number 3 Closed Doors

Number 3

They were fighting again. Cyborg tried not to swear as Robin stalked into the kitchen, made a lot of unnecessary banging while making a cup of coffee, before he stormed out again. He supposed that he was going back to the file room, since Robin always chose to fume there, and he didn't know where Starfire was. His guess was that she had gone to Raven, but then he remember that she was off somewhere and wouldn't be back until tonight. That left Beast Boy, and last Cyborg saw him, he had been on the roof reading the book Raven had given him.

With a frown, and a huge desire to smash a certain teammate into a wall, Cyborg began his trek to the roof. As he walked, Cyborg tried to figure out what the cause for the fight could be this time. Usually, it was easy to determine the level of fights in the tower.

Most commonly, Raven and Beast Boy fought. While the two were now dating, the fighting still occurred, though now it was more of the type with playful jabs then the yelling matches that existed in the early years. He could count on one hand the number of times he and Beast Boy actually fought, but those took so much to time build, and usually resolved itself in a few days.

Starfire tended not fight with anyone in the Tower. Mostly since she wanted peace among her friends, and thus she was the one who mediated the fights. At this point, Starfire was an expert on getting Beast Boy and Raven to make up, whatever the reason.

Robin, on the other hand, was a completely different story. The boy never admitted to being wrong, even when all the facts were in front of him. He got arrogant when mad, and when he was furious or stressed he lashed out, hurting the closest to him with piercing words meant to harm. On the scarce times he actually did apologize and admit his error, it took weeks for it to appear and always far after the fight had occurred.

Starfire bore the brunt of it. She talked about her problems. Starfire was easy with her emotions; Robin wasn't. He shut out the world when he was angry, causing those around him, whether they were involved in the fight or not, to be effected. Cyborg couldn't count the number of times that he had gotten chewed out for practically nothing while he and Starfire were fighting.

Starfire went to people with her problems. Raven was her first choice; she gave advice with no false hope, and said her opinions without fear of hurting the person. She believed in honesty which is what made her a source of comfort to the red head. Starfire knew that Raven wouldn't steer her wrong and could direct her on what her options were.

Beast Boy was her second choice, mostly for when there had been a particularly rough argument. For situations like these, Beast Boy was the best to go too; when a person needed to rant, his buddy let them, and when they were finished then the talking began. Beast Boy didn't offer advice every time, sometimes Starfire just wanted to vent. It was a quality that Cyborg cherished about his best friend.

When the two fought, it affect the whole tower. Robin would try to get Raven on his side, while he and Beast Boy tried to be neutral. Most times Beast Boy went with Starfire, simply because he couldn't say no to anyone, leaving him in the middle.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Cyborg focused and opened the door to the roof. He could hear the murmurings of a conversation, but he couldn't tell what it was about. Beast Boy was leaning against the bench next to the volleyball net. Starfire was actually sitting on the ground.

Her eyes were slightly puffy, but she wasn't curled up into a ball, which meant that while she was still hurting, it wasn't as bad as it could be. Cyborg ruffled Beast Boy's hair and say down next to Starfire. She leaned into his arm.

The three of them didn't talk, just watched the waves and the seagulls as they flew by.

"Sometimes I grow tired of this," Starfire said softly, as if she didn't want to ruin the stillness of the air around them. She reached down to curl Beast Boy's hair.

"Of the fighting?" Beast Boy asked. Starfire nodded. Cyborg sighed heavily.

"I love Robin, and I know he feels the same, but some days I wonder if it is all worth it. I just wanted him to leave the files for an hour, just one hour, but he got so mad. I know things have been stressful, for all of us, with the increase of calls, and Slade potentially returning, but I just wanted an hour. Just a bit of time with my boyfriend." Starfire ranted. Beast Boy had reached up to rub her hand. Starfire grabbed it and squeezed back.

"Relationships take work, Star," Cyborg replied. He felt like he had given this speech a hundred times. "But you can't force Robin, no matter how hard you try. It doesn't mean he's Scott free either; he has to put in effort, or it doesn't work."

"I know that," Starfire said finally after a while. She pulled her legs up and rested her head on her knees while she curled her other arm around her waist.

"I'm just tired of waiting for things to change."

As Cyborg pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and saw Beast Boy lean into his little sister, all he could do was be there.

He glanced down at Beast Boy; the same look was in his eyes as well.

All three of them were tired of waiting for things to change.

* * *

Author's Note: I'm alive! My ear infection is gone, the pool season is starting, and I just had an interview with a potential new job. Hope you minions are doing well! Read and Review!


	35. Number 32 The Shore

Number 32

Raven watched her step as she made her way down to the end of the island. The large cluster of rocks, which hid her teammate, was several feet away, currently surrounded by piles of seaweed that had been thrown up from the sea during the recent storm. The others were inside, Cyborg and Robin were in the middle of a gaming competition, and they wanted Beast Boy to come inside, but she and Starfire were hesitant. It had been a good few weeks since the weather had been decent enough to relax outside and Beast Boy got very fidgety when he was kept inside too long.

As she climbed over one of the rocks and her feet hit the sand she saw her friend. Beast Boy was currently sitting Indian style on one of the flatter rocks, reading something, but his ears twitched, announcing her arrival.

"Hey, Raven," He said absently. Raven sat down next to him, and watched the waves, before telling him why she was here. As it was, she could begin to feel the impatience of the other two boys, and felt the need to yell a bit. Beast Boy had been waiting weeks for the weather to clear up.

"Hey," Raven replied. She frowned as she caught sight of the book. "Is that French?"

"German, Rita shipped it here a few weeks ago," Beast Boy said absently. Right, the whole trying to rebuild the bridge, or something.

"As long as you don't confuse Cyborg again, you should be good," Raven commented with a grin. That had been a fun night; Robin made sure to record it.

"So, what's up?" Beast Boy finally asked as he closed the book. Already Raven could feel him becoming more relaxed. They all had stress relievers; Beast Boy's tended to lean towards being outside.

"The boys want you to play video games," Raven said dully. Beast Boy rolled his eyes, a habit he had gotten from her, and then laughed.

"Ya, I bet, but I'm good here, actually," Beast Boy answered. "It's nice enough to go swimming even."

Raven smiled. With the way the hair was playing with his hair, and the genuine smile that he gave her, not the forced ones that they caught him with at times, Raven melted a bit more. Meetings like this had been occurring more and more since New Year, a development that they hadn't told the team of.

After the long, drawn out process of Robin and Starfire getting together, Raven figured she and her other two friends were allowed some sort of privacy in terms of budding relationships.

If this was a budding relationship.

Raven had known for a while that Beast Boy liked her. And now, she felt herself opening up more, doing things she didn't before, and he was taking notice.

Like how she went out of her way to spend time with him. Or how she made sure he was eating and drinking enough during missions to avoid the whole collapsing fiasco again. She even made it her goal, a personal promise like he did for her, to make _him_ smile, a genuine smile, once a day.

A lot of their meetings tended to happen here. Raven felt safest in her room, surrounded by her books. It grounded her. Beast Boy needed to outdoors, the wind and the water.

"I know," Raven replied, "Starfire and I tried to tell them that, but you know how they are." Raven frowned for a minute. "Actually, I'm not sure why they didn't come down here themselves."

Beast Boy looked at her, and, wait was he blushing?

"Starfire told them not too," Beast Boy said, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. A nervous tick, something she hadn't seen in a while.

"Why not?" Raven asked with an eyebrow raised. Beast Boy looked towards the water.

"She told them, and don't quote me on this, since Star only told me the general gist of it, that we didn't have a lot of places to ourselves and that they should leave us alone."

Well then.

Silence descended on them for several moments. Starfire didn't want them to be disturbed. That explained the need for Starfire to push for Raven to come out here, but there was plenty of times where she had come out on her own.

"So, she wanted us to have a place?" Raven asked finally. Beast Boy turned to looked at her again. He had that same gleaming look in his eyes that Raven secretly loved. A look she had seen, once, directly at Terra, now solely directed at her.

"Ya," Beast Boy answered. "She seemed to think we needed it."

The unspoken question hung in the air. Beast Boy wouldn't ask it unless she was sure. Past situations had told him that asking any more of her would make her run.

And Raven didn't want to run, not this time.

"Why do you think we need it," Raven said, and took a quick breath, "_Really_ need it?"

There was a pause and then she felt a gloved hand touch hers. When she looked at Beast Boy, she could see the same emotions playing on his face. He didn't want to run either.

"I think she wants us to be happy," Beast Boy started, "Without the others watching, but mostly because she knows that this," And he took a deep breath before looking her in the eye, "Us, isn't going to be ready and out there for a while."

Raven gripped his hand tighter.

"In a way," Raven said slowly, "It's like she's giving us her blessing."

Beast Boy chuckled and Raven relaxed.

"Ya, I guess she is," Beast Boy answered. Raven swallowed in preparation for what she was about to say.

"So, I suppose we should honor that, right?" Raven asked shyly. The barely concealed hope with there, just under the surface, and Raven suddenly realized that what she had been wanting, for years, was just within her reach.

"We should," Beast Boy agreed. Raven shifted forward and leaned her forehead against his. The air around them smelt like lavender and salt, and oddly comforting smell.

"I,' Raven stuttered, "I want this, us, and I want to try. I'm not going to do this half-way." Raven looked at him. "You deserve better than that, and I'm not going to try and hurt you, not unintentionally."

Beast Boy rubbed her hand.

"Me too," Beast Boy replied. "I won't lie to you, if I can help it, and I won't shut you out." He looked at her and smiled. "I made a promise to you once, Rae, I don't plan to break it."

Raven smiled and curled up against him.

There was no kissing, no undying promises of love. But promises that each other knew were important. The romance stuff would follow at its own pace. Now, though, Raven just revealed in the feeling of peace and happiness coming off of them.

Together, they watched the waves and the seagulls, curled up at _their_ spot.

* * *

Author's Note: Here it is, some BBxRae for you :) Read and Review guys!


	36. Number 48 Don't mess with the Titans

Number 48

Cyborg slowly became aware of his surroundings. Blinking his human eye to try and focus on his vision, his robotic eye came back online. He was in a dark room, one filled with old mechanical parts, and it reminded him of Fix-It. However, Cyborg knew he wasn't there; for one thing, Fix-It had finally come back above ground, and another was that he and the others weren't in Jump at the moment.

Which led to his "oh, crap" moment.

He was alone, in an unidentified location, without his team, and no recollection of how he got there. Counting back from ten, Cyborg ran through the top five things that they had drilled into their heads.

First, keep calm. You weren't any help, to yourself or others, if you were panicking. Robin used to say that worriers made mistakes, thinkers avoided them.

Second, don't give them any information they can work with. Answer with a question and avoid saying names, places, or any other relevant information.

Third, look around for weapons or tools. The first thing any kidnapper did was take away all assets on your person; stay ahead by making your own.

Fourth, play along. If the kidnapper thinks your complying it will be easier to take them by surprise. Criminals are at their sloppiest when they feel comfortable.

Fifth, the team will always find you.

Cyborg wasn't sure if they were here with him, or if they were on their way now, but he wasn't concerned. His friends would get here, and then some serious butt-whooping would happen.

He didn't have to wait long before the villain of the day appeared. He wasn't very tall, peppered with gray hair, and sporting a large gun on his hip. The glasses on his face, and the gold chain around his neck, were clearly meant to intimidate him. Cyborg resisted the urge to snort.

"Ah, looks like our guest is finally awake," Sleaze ball said. Cyborg rolled his shoulders and noticed the shackles around his arms. Great, he was officially in a bad cop movie. Beast Boy would going to get a kick out of this.

"Well, the host could introduce himself," Cyborg replied. Sleaze ball frowned.

"Not likely, in fact, you could do us a favor and answer some questions for me," He said and snapped his fingers. The door opened and a henchman, with a ski mask covering his face, brought in a chair. Sleaze ball sat down and grinned at Cyborg.

"Sorry, not in my contract to talk to strangers," Cyborg apologized. His sensors buzzed, alerting him to some very familiar heat signatures.

"I would advise you to rethink that," He countered, "My men can be very impatient, as can I."

Cyborg laughed.

"Ya, about that, I tend not to. See, that is also not in my job description."

Sleaze ball frowned and looked down as his phone buzzed. His face paled slightly as he looked at the screen.

"Everything ok? No burning kitchen or panic over too few napkins?" Cyborg teased. Sleaze ball grit his teeth.

"A minor set-back," He waved away. "Now, getting back to-"

A loud crash, and some distinct yelps were heard. Cyborg grinned as he heard some large animal roar in the background.

"See, that minor set-back, happens to be my team," Cyborg told him nonchalantly. "And they aren't very happy at the moment. Which is bad news for you, since most days they would be willing to negotiate terms."

"Would they now?" Sleaze ball asked with a slight tremor to his voice. Cyborg laughed.

"Yes, but you broke the cardinal rule," Cyborg shrugged. Sleaze ball swallowed.

"And what would that be?"

The door flew open and a band of dark energy threw him to the wall. Instantly Raven stalked in. She looked over at him.

"The others will be along shortly," Raven said to Cyborg as she unlocked the cuffs. "There was a very trigger happy man that seemed to find it fun to aim at passing Titans. I think he's getting acquainted with Starfire."

Raven smirked as she faced Sleaze ball.

"Now," Raven hissed. "We are going to have words."

Maybe this time the message to avoid kidnapping Titans would stick.

* * *

Beast Boy was pretty sure the back of his head was bleeding, these jerks had put a collar on him, and the cuffs on his wrists was preventing him from shifting. His situation sucked, and looking around the room where he was didn't offer many options for him.

Trying to get out of the cuffs, Beast Boy thought of his situation. A simple scouting mission that went completely wrong. And worse, his communicator was gone. Super. Noticing the camera in the corner, and thinking back to some of those times back with the Doom Patrol, Beast Boy closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"You know, a kidnapping usually requires a kidnapper, in case you forgot," Beast Boy said to the camera. The red light blinked.

Biting back a curse, Beast Boy focused again on the cuffs. The door slammed open.

"I would watch your tongue, if I were you," announced a stocky man, sporting a ratty jacket, as he stalked into the room. Beast Boy rolled his eyes.

"Ya, tried that once, didn't like it," He said dryly. The man glared.

"It will be fun, taking you apart," The man hissed. Great, he was back in every Doom Patrol mission.

"Good, don't you people even try to be different?" Beast Boy muttered. A backhand sent him sprawling to the left. A well-aimed kick to the knee sent the man swearing to the floor. Beast Boy wiped his mouth, full of blood, now, thanks, on his shoulder.

"You are going to regret that," The man yelled. Beast Boy caught sight of the gun on his waist band. Great, Robin was going to flip when he saw that, he hated guns.

"I'm stuck in a room with your unoriginal ass," Beast Boy swore, "Trust me, there isn't much else I'm regretting."

"I will show you," He said as he stood up. Based on the way he was standing, Beast Boy was willing to bet he broke something.

The guy was trying to be scary, not working, get in line, by waving the gun in his face and jabbing it into his rib cage. A loud bang made the man jump.

"What the hell?"

Beast Boy grinned.

"Looks like my ride is here," Beast Boy told him. The man hit him again. He was going to have a wonderful bruise in the morning.

The door was flung in by a green blast. A well-aimed ninja star knocked the gun out of the man's hands and into the corner.

"I'd let him go if I were you," Robin said lowly. The man swallowed.

"I'm not scared of you," He said with sweat pooling on his forehead. Robin grinned.

"You should be."

A tendril of black magic wrapped around him and turned him to face the girls.

"We have a policy," Raven said. "As long as our teammate is unharmed, you get to go to jail without issue. However, you hurt him, which means your trip is going to be delayed."

Starfire leaned around him.

"We shall meet you at the T-Ship, we have a matter to discuss," Starfire said sweetly. The man began to beg and in a flash he was gone.

"I don't suppose you can get this off," Beast Boy asked. Robin swore and then smiled.

"You know, I think this is something the girls should know," Robin told him as he led him back to the ship.

As Cyborg looked him over, he could faintly hear the sound of the man getting chewed out by the girls.

* * *

Robin was annoyed.

His staff was broken, he was being held up by his ankles, his cape was ripped, and he could hear his team above him but thanks to the gag he could say anything.

"Don't let them get through!" Someone yelled from beyond the door frame. A shriek followed and soon his girlfriend was walking through the door.

A kiss was pressed to his nose, and she carefully let him down. She took the gag out and then kissed him firmly on the lips.

"Are you harmed?" She asked.

"No, just some bruising," Robin assured her. Starfire nodded and led him out of the room. A quick blast to her left kept the would be kidnappers down.

"Shall we go see the others?" Starfire asked. At the end of the hall Cyborg was staring down the ring leader, who was sporting a large bruise to his eye. Beast Boy was glaring at another henchman, who was trembling.

"See, he's fine, don't eat us!" He begged. Beast Boy rolled his eyes.

"Ask nicely and I'll consider it," He said dully. Raven scanned him over.

"Slightly bruising, should be gone within the week," Raven told him. She turned to Starfire.

"You start heading back, we've got this covered."

Laughing as he was lead out, Robin wondered if the criminals would ever get the hint not to kidnap any of them.


	37. Number 63 Goodbye pranks

Number 63

Cyborg woke up with a ball of dread in his stomach. His internal clock told him it was 6:35am, and the 1st of April. A day of anticipation for everyone, and for Cyborg personally, since it was the day he settled a lot of his bets with Beast Boy.

Unplugging his charger, and stretching, Cyborg figured now would be the best time to get some food. The rest of the day would be spent in mute terror, plus he had his own traps to set still. His window was getting smaller with each passing minute he spent here.

Robin was sitting at the table when he finally walked in. The boy wonder was clutching his coffee like a life line.

"Late night?" Cyborg asked brightly. Robin muttered something under his breath.

"Wanna repeat that, Rob?"

Robin rubbed the left side of his face. There were faint indents left from a keyboard.

"I said," Robin groaned, "that my head is pounding. I stayed up later than I intended in the file room. Starfire is going to kill me."

Cyborg laughed. Lately, the girl had been going on a health kick; making sure everyone was getting enough sleep, eating well, and everything else. She could be overwhelming at times, but Star meant well.

"She cares, Robin, give it some time, she'll calm down," Cyborg assured him as he got some orange juice from the fridge. He braced himself for anything, and was shocked when nothing happened.

Not when he opened the fridge, not when he poured his drink. No prank at all. Cyborg frowned.

"You have anything happen to you?" Cyborg asked Robin as he sat down. Robin looked up from his mug.

"What do you mean?" Robin said as he swallowed. Cyborg tapped his glass.

"It's April Fools, Rob. I woke up fine, nothing here is tampered with," Cyborg told him. Robin lowered his mug.

"It's not even seven, Cyborg, there's still time," Robin assured him. Cyborg sank lower in his seat. He had hoped, secretly along with Robin that nothing would change this year. But Beast Boy had been pulling away from their old pranks for the past few months, and Robin had to remind several times that it was ok. He just didn't want to believe it; his little buddy wasn't so little anymore.

And if this day passed without an incident, it would prove it.

Cyborg chugged his juice and stood up.

"No, he wouldn't just stop like this," Cyborg declared. "He has a ploy somewhere, and I'm going to find it."

Determined, he walked out of the room. Robin stared at his back and didn't try to stop him.

* * *

Hours later, and there was nothing. No pranks, no tricks, nothing. Cyborg tried to convince himself that the feeling in his stomach wasn't panic. There had to be a prank somewhere in this tower.

He had checked all the bathrooms, all the doorways. Nothing in the halls, or the elevator. His room, and Starfire's, were clean. The kitchen checked out, as did the common room and laundry room. By the time lunch rolled around Cyborg had worked himself up so badly that Raven came to check on him.

"Are you ok?" Cyborg turned around, he had been checking the mats in the training room, to find Raven standing in the door frame. Her hood was down and her face was pinched in concern.

"He didn't leave anything," Cyborg said as he sat down. He missed Beast Boy, he forgot that today he and Starfire would be out on patrol until dinner, and he didn't want to tip him off that something was horribly wrong.

Raven sat down beside him.

"Robin said you were panicking this morning," She said. Cyborg fixed his gaze on the rack of weights across the room. The stinging in his eyes went away when he blinked.

"It's April Fools," Cyborg stated. "This is his favorite day, and there hasn't been a single prank." Raven rubbed his shoulder. Cyborg swallowed and didn't bother to notice his eye starting to burn again.

"He just, stopped," Cyborg muttered. "When the hell did he just stop?"

Cyborg knew, of course. They were all growing up, but Beast Boy was slowly pulling away from the old things they used to do. He was taller, and older, and gradually becoming more mature. Robin didn't seemed fazed by it; Cyborg felt like he was losing something.

"I think you should tell him that it's still important to you," Raven said finally. "Everyone is changing, Cyborg, you can't just expect him to know what's going on."

Falling back so he landed on the mats, Cyborg nodded mutely. Raven sat with him for a long time, even after they were notified that Starfire and Beast Boy were back.

* * *

"Can we talk?"

Beast Boy's head looked up from his communicator. Cyborg sat down next to him on the couch.

"Ya, what's up?" Beast Boy asked as he pocketed his device. Cyborg's face was stony.

"You know what day it is, right?"

Beast Boy nodded. "The first."

"Of April," Cyborg finished. Beast Boy frowned.

"I know that, why the big fuss?"

Cyborg gaped for a minute.

"It's April Fools. You know, your favorite holiday. You plan months in advance."

"I actually didn't," Beast Boy said with a shrug. "Didn't see the point of it."

Cyborg felt like he had been sucker punched. The air seemed to leave the room. This couldn't be happening.

"Why the hell not?" Cyborg exploded. The panic he had been feeling earlier doubled.

"Well, you guys never seemed to enjoy it. Figured I should stop, that's what you guys wanted, right?" Beast Boy asked as he stood up.

Cyborg blinked rapidly trying to find the words he wanted to convey to his friend.

"Well, ya, but-"

"Then I don't see the problem," Beast Boy said. His communicator buzzed and he pulled it out to read it. "Look, Cy, I don't get when the big deal is. You guys always put up a big fuss about it. I stopped, so there's no need to waste time on it anymore."

Cyborg stood as Beast Boy made his way to the door.

"We never told you to stop," Cyborg spat out. Beast Boy turned.

"Ya, you did," Beast Boy replied. He smiled lightly. "I guess I should have stopped earlier if it was making you this aggravated, Cy."

Cyborg opened his mouth, but he couldn't speak. His throat felt tight and any words he had died on his tongue.

"I got to go, Aqualad and I are meeting up. Don't wait for me, I'll message Robin when I'm heading back." Before Cyborg could reply, his best friend was gone.

Taking in the silence of the room, and ignoring the stinging in his eye, Cyborg sat down numbly. His little buddy was growing up.

And Cyborg hated it.

* * *

Author's Note: Have some CyXBB feels. Also, we are so close to 200 reviews. You guys are amazing. I'm taking a break from TTLT to start working on the Adventures of Goth Girl and her Artisan friend, so keep an eye out. Read and Review minions!


	38. Number 10 The Laundry Room

Number 10

Lugging her laundry basket behind her, Starfire huffed as she came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. Smiling, she realized she wasn't alone. Beast Boy was passing Raven a bottle of detergent. The empath was frowning at an old oil stain left on her cloak. The team finally had a break from crime fighting to catch up on household chores that had been falling behind.

"How much do you have?" Raven said as she reached for the stain remover. Starfire placed her bag on a chair next to the dryer.

"I'm surprised at the amount of fabric I went through," Starfire replied. It was true; the girl was surprised when she reached for a clean shirt, only to find none there.

"I have a cloak left, and a pair of socks," Raven said. "This one has a shirt."

Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "She hates it, cus it's not her favorite." Starfire frowned.

"Favorite?"

"Favorite shirt, the one I have left isn't worthy apparently," Beast Boy told her. Starfire laughed. It was nice to see that the fighting aspect of their relationship wasn't lost.

The sound of feet coming down the stairs had them looking towards the landing. Robin came down, laundry basket set on his hip, and a frown on his face.

"You too?" Beast Boy asked. Robin nodded and grabbed the stain remover from Raven's hand. The four of them worked in silence for the most part, sorting their clothes, and putting them in the washers. Leaning back, Robin rubbed his nose.

"So, now what?" He asked.

Beast Boy shrugged. "We have twenty minutes till the clothes are done." Raven tossed a package of cards from one of the shelves.

"Wanna play Mao?" Raven asked. They all agreed, and soon they were seated on the floor playing. By the time the clothes are done, Raven had set two rules (doing a handstand for ten seconds every time an ace was played, and taking three cards for drawing a ten), and Robin was annoyed that he somehow ended up with all the aces.

A ding alerted them to the laundry being done. As they started to stand, Starfire noticed a tickling sensation on her leg. Looking down, she saw a beetle, and shrieked.

This sent everything downhill.

Starfire flew back, hand brushing on the beetle, and her other hand accidently shot a star bolt out. Raven was closest, and she moved to avoid being hit. But the star bolt hit the washer instead, sending a wave of water onto Robin and Beast Boy. For a few moments, no one moved.

To top it off, the alarm starting to blare. Groaning, the four of them gave a dirty look at the washer, before taking off upstairs. Cleary today wasn't the day to catch up on laundry.

* * *

Author's Note: I'm sorry I haven't posted lately, and this one isn't that great, but I wanted to post something anyway. I've started a new job, and I'm taking a summer class. But I'll try and post more often from now on. So, read and review guys.


	39. Number 22 Crazy about Strawberries

Number 22

Brushing the hair out of her eyes, Raven stood up and brushed the dirt off of her hands. The strawberry fields were busy today; there were no less than twenty people per row. Robin was in her row, Beast Boy and Cyborg a few behind them, and Starfire two ahead of them. Once the flyer had come out, Starfire had talked of nothing else until they could finally go berry picking. The girl loved strawberries, perhaps more than mustard, since Starfire had told them that her home planet didn't have anything like her favorite red fruit. There was a brown plant that had the texture right, but none of the taste.

This, of course, led to Starfire asking them what their favorite fruits were. Robin loved apples, Red Delicious particularly, and if those were not available, watermelon. Cyborg could eat an entire crate of clementine's if he wanted, and Beast Boy preferred kiwi or mangos. Raven liked cherries, but also peaches.

Now, Starfire had placed the scheduled harvest times for all of them so that they could go and pick their favorite fruits.

Robin walked over and put down his basket. Starfire had gone all out for today. Each of them had their own baskets, with names and a ribbon in their specific color. Red for Robin, blue for Cyborg, purple for her, pink for Starfire, and green for Beast Boy.

"So, how many baskets do you think we're going home with?" Robin asked as he brushed his hand against his forehead to wipe off the sweat. Raven brushed away a clump of dirt on her leg.

"Four baskets from her at the least," Raven said. "And who knows how many Cyborg and Beast Boy have gotten."

Deciding not to stand in the blazing sun, none of them could tolerate the heat as well as Beast Boy, the two made their way over to a picnic pavilion area and sat down in the shade offered by the patio roof. Looking out they spotted Cyborg, and he waved at them. A few moments later, he was sitting next to them with his basket.

"B got dragged off to the other end, Star has three filled already," Cyborg told them. Robin laughed.

"Figures," Robin said fondly, "Did you clean out the drawers in the fridge for her? I pulled out the blender so she could make smoothies."

Raven laughed quietly. The boy wonder had been hiding that blender for weeks as a surprise gift. After this adventure, Starfire would walk into the kitchen and find a new blender, with a bow on top, sitting on the kitchen table, waiting to be used. Robin had been excited for the longest time about giving it to her.

"Don't worry Robin, Star's going to love your boyfriend present," Cyborg joked with him. Raven rolled her eyes. She could only imagine what they would joke about when they found out her and Beast Boy were dating.

It wasn't long before the other two came over. Starfire was smiling, holding four baskets, one her own that she made at the tower and the other three the ones provided by the farm. Beast Boy was grinning, and Raven could tell that both of them would have sunburnt noses at the end of the day. Cyborg helped Starfire put down the baskets and brushed off a leaf from Beast Boy's glove.

"So, are we getting any more, or are we good?" Cyborg asked. Starfire didn't hesitate to answer.

"We have more than enough for now, but we will be coming back in a few weeks to collect some more," Starfire said.

They relaxed for a little while longer, relishing the shade that was offered, and talking about any passing thoughts. Finally, they made their way inside to pay for the strawberries. As Robin and Starfire were at the cash register, Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg walked around looking at the other plants that were for sale.

"Aloe is so underrated," Cyborg said suddenly. Raven looked up from the orchid in front of her and walked over to her metal friend. Beast Boy was next to him smiling and rolled his eyes.

"Why do you think that?" Beast Boy asked.

"Well, people only think that it can be used to treat sunburn," Cyborg stated, "And people just rip off its leaves and that's it."

"They grow back, Cy," Beast Boy said. Cyborg huffed.

"Not the point, man," Cyborg grumbled.

"Well, they put aloe in lotion, and you can make juice from the plant itself," Beast Boy told him.

"You can make juice from aloe?" Raven asked. Beast Boy nodded.

"Ya, it's not bad," Beast Boy replied. Robin and Starfire walked over, arms full of strawberries.

"Raspberries are in season next week," Robin informed them. Cyborg laughed.

"So, we're coming back next week then?"

As they piled into the car, and the trunk full of strawberries, they talked of simple things. Raven sank back into her seat, content, and thought of little else than Starfire's look when she found the blender and the scent of strawberries.

* * *

Author's Note: Back on a regular posting schedule! Also, I'm considering getting another Betta fish, since they now have green ones at the pet store...anyway, read and review guys!


	40. Number 52 Carnival Sadness

Number 52

Taking a sip of his coffee, Robin contemplated the flyer in his hand. It was early in the morning, Raven was mediating on the roof, Cyborg had gone to the training room, and Starfire had managed to drag Beast Boy out for some air time. Which left Robin to ponder what to do with this current situation.

It had been a little over two months since Terra's death, and while the city was almost repaired, Robin knew his team still had a way to go. The four of them were mostly relieved at one aspect: Beast Boy was finally feeling better.

He certainly wasn't up to his usual perkiness, but he was coming out of his room more, making an effort to smile, and generally working his way back to being the smiling teen they knew. It made them relax a bit knowing that Beast Boy was slowly getting better.

Which was why Robin knew this idea would throw a wrench into all that progress.

Lately, Bumble Bee had been saying that they should get the Teen Titans and Titans East better acquainted. Out of both teams, only Aqualad and Beast Boy frequently, and the others only when it was necessary. So, being a team leader, Bumble Bee had suggested going to a carnival in Copper City, which was in the middle of Jump and Steel City. At first it sounded like a good idea, but then Robin realized what that would entail.

Dragging Beast Boy off to a carnival, where Terra had announced she had been working with Slade, and left.

Beast Boy had only given them the basic details that they needed, but it was clear that other stuff had happened that night. They knew that the two of them hadn't been there when the Slade Bots attacked, but they didn't know why Terra would have bothered to take Beast Boy out of the tower.

If there was a reason, Beast Boy wasn't telling.

And Robin was in no rush to place his teammate back in that situation. Not when he had finally pulled himself out of a downward spiral.

There would be other activities to do, and all Robin had to say was that it wouldn't be a good idea. Mind made up, Robin took his coffee and the flyer to the file room. It wasn't long before he was sending out a video call to Titans East.

Instead of getting Bumble Bee, however, he got Aqualad.

"Robin, is everything ok?" Aqualad asked when the connection worked.

"Ya, I was just hoping to talk to Bumble Bee about the bonding stuff she wants to do," Robin said as he leaned back in his chair. Aqualad nodded.

"Ok, she should be getting back from patrol in a little bit, if you don't mind waiting."

An ackward silence came through. Robin didn't know what to talk about. However, he didn't need to worry; Aqualad fixed the problem quickly.

"Is Beast Boy ok?" He asked. "He hasn't been answering my messages." The boy's face was pinched and clearly concerned.

Out of both teams, it was easy to see that Aqualad and Beast Boy had the strongest relationship. When there was time, the two would be out doing things together. They had jokes, and it was clear that the two called each other when things were getting hectic in either tower. After Terra, it was clear Beast Boy hadn't been talking to anyone.

And Robin could only imagine what had been running through Aqualad's mind during that whole ordeal, and now, weeks after it had happened, he still couldn't get in direct contact with his friend. Perhaps it wasn't just them that was concerned for the green teen.

"He's," Robin thought for a moment to get the right word, "better." Robin decided. "He's healing, and I'm sure he's been meaning to call, but he just started to act like himself again."

Aqualad leaned back in his chair.

"I knew he was lying," He said softly. Robin frowned. At that, Aqualad hurried to continue. "We talked, briefly, a few weeks ago. He said he was okay. I didn't argue with him, but he just seemed…off, somehow. Like he was just going through the motions."

"We noticed, too, but he's doing better," Robin said, "It just…Terra and him were close. He…Beast Boy was the last person to see her before she went off with Slade."

Robin would forever had a picture of Beast Boy coming back to their ruined home, face completely bleak, and utterly broken, somehow managing to tell them that Terra wasn't missing, but with Slade.

"That's why I wanted to talk to Bumble Bee, she wants to go to a carnival, and that's where Terra…," Robin swallowed, "Terra revealed that she had been working with Slade."

Aqualad didn't say anything for a moment. When he did, his face was stony.

"There's a music festival happening next week in our city," He said, "I'll message you the details. Don't worry about telling Bumble Bee, I'll explain it to her."

"You don't-" Robin began, but Aqualad held up a hand.

"I do, you look out for your teammates. Beast Boy might not be my teammate, but his is one of my friends, I take that seriously. So, tell the others about the change in plans."

Aqualad paused before continuing.

"And please tell Beast Boy to call me," He asked. "Even if it's just for a few minutes, it would be good to talk to him."

"I'll let him know," Robin promised. A few moments later, the call was cut.

Leaning back in his chair, Robin looked at the flyer on his desk. He grabbed it, crumpled it up in his hands, and threw it into the garbage can. Standing up to go make another cup of coffee, Robin pushed out all ideas of going to the carnival.

It would be a long time before Robin would think of it being a happy place.

And it would be a longer time before Beast Boy thought of that too.

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Author's Note: Hello Minions! Here's some worried Robin for you. Also I did get a betta fish...his name is Garfield. Read and Review guys. Oh, I have two weeks left for my physics class. Then TTLT will be finished and Adventures of Goth Girl will be updated.


	41. Number 53 Big Brother Cy

It's a great morning when you wake up to 200 reviews...you guys are awesome!

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Number 53

Since the team's formation, Cyborg had taken the big brother role without question. Mostly since he was the oldest on the team, but also the others all had moments where he simply wanted to smother them with all the feelings and protectiveness of an older sibling. He never had siblings, but he imagined that this was what it felt like.

It was the little moments that stuck out most to him.

Like how he was ruffle Beast Boy's hair at every chance, and how he would crack jokes at Robin until he smiled. He had long talks with Raven, prodding her until she finally told him what was wrong, and he made time to explain things to Starfire when she was feeling unsure of the situation.

Then there were the times he did stuff, without being noticed sometimes, that sealed in his position.

He would sneak a new cup of coffee to Robin when he took a break from the files. He would make sure Raven's favorite tea was constantly stocked, and poked his head in Beast Boy's room after a rough nightmare to. He put whatever food item Starfire was craving in the fridge so she wouldn't have to go out and get it.

But, god help the idiot who tried to badmouth his friends.

He didn't have Raven's glare, or Robin's steely face. He couldn't make his eyes glow, or threaten someone with a pair of fangs. What he could do was use a bunch of words that seemed to come out of nowhere.

There were 'red zones' in the tower.

Lines that weren't crossed, either playfully or in an argument, and those that did cross that line quickly realized their mistake.

These insults on the streets didn't come often. In fact, as the years went on, and the Titans began to show the city what they could do, the insults came less and less from normal citizens. Mostly, it can from the dirt bags from the press, sometimes city council, and those idiots on the street.

A passing comment about her weird hair color. A loud joke about his skin color. The comment that no one could ever really trust a kid of Satan. The remark that he would never be as cool as Batman.

Almost always he gets pulled away before he can really get into an argument. Many times, Beast Boy or Starfire has led him away from the heckler; Raven or Robin just keep him walking with their words.

There are a few times he came close to being in a fist fight. He's thrown a drink in someone's face for a few choice words. He's sworn, yelled, and generally peeled back his laid back attitude to show a layer of 'take no crap from anyone' that he hadn't shown in years.

It wasn't until many years later that anyone every called him out on it.

He had been working on the T-Car, and Kid Flash had been crashing at the tower.

"You know, you sometimes go all brother bear on the rest of them," Kid Flash said as he spun in a chair. Cyborg looked up from the engine to stare at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," He continued, "Is that you get really protective when someone messes with them. It's exactly like how a big brother would act."

Cyborg rolled his eyes and went back to his work. He didn't make a big deal about what he did; mostly it was because he knew that none of his younger siblings ever had anyone to defend them in the past.

"It's nice, Cyborg," Kid Flash spoke after a moment. Cyborg smiled and finally looked at the speedster.

"It is, but I won't ever admit it to them. They would either deny needing it, or say I don't have a reason to do it."

Kid Flash frowned.

"Then why do it if they would dislike it so much?"

Cyborg flashed him a grin and reached for a wrench.

"Because, that's what big brother's do-they give you what you need whether you ask for it or not."

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Author's Note: So I have one week left of physics. After that, posts will be as often as they can be (I'm going to try for one per day). But read and review, your input means a lot :)


	42. Number 16 The Doom Patrol Files

Number 16

Robin knew he had no right to look. He hadn't asked, hadn't talked to Beast Boy, hadn't even brought it up with one of the others on how to approach going about this. But, here he was, sitting in the file room, about to look at files he thought long ago he wouldn't even consider sneaking a peek at.

But that's the thing about long term planning; things are liable to change.

Beast Boy had told them some things about the Doom Patrol, but he mostly kept that part of his life quiet, not wanting to discuss it. The others could respect that. Robin, however, wanted to talk. He and Beast Boy were the only two who had ever been on another team before joining the titans. If anything, that fact alone could have been a bonding point for them, but Beast Boy would have none of it.

The Doom Patrol was hardly talked about, and Robin wanted to know why.

He was certainly going to be in trouble when he told Beast Boy what he did. The changeling would be angry, of course, but he knew that Beast Boy was never angry for very long.

Hacking into the files took some time. There were a dozen firewalls, and numerous other computer tricks that Robin had never seen before. Cyborg could probably tell him. An hour later, Robin had finally been able to view the files.

The first file date was dated back eight years. Robin double checked that. Beast Boy was sixteen now, had been for the past month, and this file was saying that when this mission occurred he was eight.

Robin had started when he was eleven, and Bruce still considered him too young to be out in the field. Beast Boy had practically been a child when he went against criminals.

For a while, Robin simply read the mission descriptions. There were a lot of info about the Brotherhood of Evil, and soon he began to connect the dots as to some of the more hazy facts of the Doom Patrol.

Mento led the team, but it was clear that Roboman was second in command. Beast Boy was almost always scouting ahead, despite being the only person under 30 on the team. A majority of the injuries happened to him and Elastic-Girl.

There were bombs, torture sessions, and even half decent murder plots. Robin hadn't heard of the Brotherhood until they had come back for Beast Boy, and the reason for that was probably because of what the Doom Patrol did.

Beast Boy's old team never stayed in one place for very long. Germany, Russia, France; they moved constantly. Robin always wondered why Beast Boy hadn't liked to leave the tower for very long; now it made sense since Jump City was the longest place he had ever been.

Missions were almost back to back. The longest break the Doom Patrol had was less than a week. Even Robin wouldn't push his team that long and hard without a break. The rates of injury were doubled, sometimes tripled, and the list of injuries cataloged after each mission took up over a page.

The was a list of people with intent to harm, mostly kill. A quarter was dead, half in prison, and the rest were MIA. There were torture sessions, and it made Robin feel sick to read that Beast Boy had been bearing the brunt of the kidnappings. The fatality rates from injuries were staggering, and the details of missions left him gaping.

By the time Robin couldn't stand to read anymore, it was past dinner. Swallowing, and trying to find some saliva to coat his mouth and throat, he got up. It took him a moment to figure out that he was looking for his youngest.

He found him in the common room, playing some racing game, and offered a friendly wave when he walked in.

"Hey are you ok?" Beast Boy asked when he saw Robin's expression. The boy wonder sat down next to him.

"You know," Robin said as he looked at the changeling, "I'm really proud of you."

Beast Boy frowned and paused the game.

"Are you feeling ok?"

Without thinking, Robin pulled him in for a one armed hug. Beast Boy was stiff for a moment, before relaxing.

"I'm fine, just really proud of you. Don't forget that, ok?" Robin pressed. Beast Boy nodded, completely bewildered by his leaders actions.

Robin never told him he read the Doom Patrol files. If Beast Boy found out, he never said anything. But Robin never doubted what his youngest went through, and always went out of his way to tell him that.

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Author's Note: Only four more days of physics...then I'm free...also I might do a quick story inspired by my recent trip to Petco... Also, Garfield and Nightwing are getting along nicely. So read and review guys!


	43. Number 46 Closed Heart

Author's Note: Sorry this is so short, my final is tomorrow and I still have a paper to write. Read and Review minions!

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Number 46

Starfire had noticed the girl since they had sat down to get pizza that night. The restaurant was quiet, slow for a Tuesday night, and the group was enjoying each other's company in the secluded high back booths. The girl, however, was sitting a few tables away from them and hadn't taken her eyes off Beast Boy since she came in. Starfire wanted to say something, but generally they didn't engage with people who stared unless it became a problem. The girl wasn't annoying them, and unless she did, Starfire would keep quiet.

They had been trying to unwind from the tiring day, and Robin was under the impression to let them all sleep in for the first time in a long time, when the girl had finally walked over.

"Can you sign this?" She asked, no name, no please, no nothing. The girl had to lean over Raven, who was shooting daggers with her eyes, to press the magazine under Beast Boy's nose. The boy was confused, but didn't yell at the uninvited girl.

"Um, sure," Beast Boy said warily as he took it. However, the moment he looked at it, his face turned white.

All Starfire saw was a flash of blonde hair and she knew. Without warning, she reached over and took the material. Thrusting it back at the girl, Starfire stood up from the booth.

"I will only ask you once," Starfire said. "Kindly leave us to our meal."

The girl blinked, then frowned at the alien girl.

"No way, not until I get my autograph. Besides, this is a limit edition!" She screeched. Other few people that were seated in the building turned towards the scene.

"I think you should listen," Raven said calmly. The girl rolled her eyes.

"Figures, you'd think he get over a dead girl," She hissed as she walked away.

Starfire literally saw red. The urge to defend her family vibrated through her whole body. Cyborg barely grabbed her before she tackled the girl. Swallowing her rage, Starfire turned back to her friends, only to find two spots missing.

Raven was missing, and so was Beast Boy.

X

It was dark when Starfire finally found her teammate. Beast Boy was sitting on the roof ledge, Raven nowhere in sight, but Starfire could sense that if this conversation went south she would be there.

"Are you alright?" Starfire asked as she sat down. Beast Boy had his gaze fixed on the waves below them.

"We dated, you know," Beast Boy said softly. "It wasn't even a date, really." His voice was quiet, almost hollow, and Starfire hated it. His voice was never dull.

"I never asked-"

"But you wondered." Beast Boy finished. He turned to her, offering a small smile. "You guys are awful at hiding your curiosity."

"I wished for you to be happy. It is wrong to throw old relationships, even small ones, back into the present." Starfire told him.

"Perhaps something could have happened, but one day it will…and I will be so happy for you." Starfire said. Beast Boy smiled a bit, though he still looked sad. Starfire shuffled closer so that the she was leaning against him.

Starfire gazed out at the water, mind churning of thoughts of old rumors, old romances, and a girl with blond hair.


	44. Number 75 Cyborg vs Dogs Part I

Number 75

The park was a welcome break from the chaos occurring in the tower. It was the beginning of summer in Jump City, the team had been experiencing a lull in criminal activity, and Robin had suddenly gotten into a cleaning kick. He wanted everything clean: rooms, walls, windows. Everything. At first, they didn't mind. It had been a while since things had been given a proper clean. But after the third hour, Cyborg was ready to quit. He had been vacuuming for hours, and then he had been charged with washing windows with Raven. Beast Boy and Starfire had been sent to the basement. Robin was cleaning the kitchen.

So, when the boy wonder suggested a break, they had pounced on it. The park was sunny and warm, and they had situated themselves under a nice patch of shade, content not to overexert themselves on this nice day. Raven had brought out one of her new books and was leaning against the tree trunk, already a quarter way done. Robin was trying to teach Starfire how to throw a Frisbee, and he and Beast Boy was chilling in the grass. Cyborg decided to take a cat nap in the sun, while Beast Boy was cloud watching.

"Champion, get back here!" A voice shouted. The two turned their heads, and saw a boxer come running at full speed towards them. The dog, well more like puppy, slowed to a trot and came to rest in front of Beast Boy. The boy laughed and began to pet the dog until the owner caught up. The dog's owner was a college kid, and his knees were bleeding, probably from the escape attempt from the boxer. The owner was out of breath; the boxer was more than content to roll over and let Beast Boy rub his belly.

"I'm so sorry, he just got so excited." The teenager told them. Beast Boy looked up, prompting the dog to whack his arm to resume the petting.

"It's alright, he didn't harm anyone," Beast Boy reassured him. The owner relaxed and knelt down to clip the leash to Champion's collar. The boxer, however, was not happy with this and began to whine when it was told to walk.

"It's alright buddy," Cyborg said, reaching a hand to the dogs head to pet him. That didn't happen, since the boxer moved to nip him, then sit right in front of Beast Boy. The owner and Cyborg didn't know what to think; Beast Boy scratched the dog's ears and looked back at the owner.

"Did you park close by? I could walk with you to make sure he doesn't run again," Beast Boy asked. The teen agreed, relieved that he would have a second pair of hands and eyes for his dog. Beast Boy stood up, but the dog didn't let Cyborg move. Eventually the metal teen had to sit on the ground until Beast Boy, the owner, and Champion were out of sight. Cyborg huffed as he moved towards Raven.

"What did you do?" Raven questioned as she turned another page in her book. Cyborg plopped down on the ground, disregarding Raven's annoyed look, and proceeded to voice his thoughts.

"You think B can understand dog? Like actually speak it? Maybe, but that doesn't explain why the dog flipped out on me," Cyborg rambled. Raven sighed as she closed her book, seeing she wouldn't be getting any peace until this matter was resolved, and gave her full attention to her teammate.

"Ok, first the dog didn't flip out on you. Second, Beast Boy wouldn't let that happen to anyone, let alone you. Third, are you really going to open up that dog again with the languages? You know how well that turned out." Raven reminded him.

Cyborg didn't say anything, choosing to sulk in silence, and Raven went back to her book. Beast Boy came back some time later, smiling, and flopped down next to Cyborg.

"What's with the frown?" Beast Boy asked when he saw the sullen look on Cyborg's face. His best friend huffed.

"Wanna tell me why the dog nearly took my face off?" Cyborg asked.

"He didn't take your face off, all he did was try to give you a nip, if he did get you it wouldn't have even broken skin," Beast Boy explained. Cyborg glared.

"So, what did I do wrong?"

"You didn't do anything wrong," Beast Boy told him again. Raven peered over her book.

"If you two are done arguing, then kindly remove yourself so I can read in peace. I've read the same line four times since this conversation started."

Laughing, Beast Boy stood up.

"Come on, dude, let's go make sure Star hasn't knocked Robin out yet," He said. Cyborg got up and walked over to the next field.

"So, you really aren't going to tell me?" Cyborg asked one last time. Beast Boy turned to grin at him.

"Nope, not a chance!"

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Author's Note: Have some fun BBxCy friendship. Also, my class is over and I can start writing some more. So, read and review peeps!


	45. Number 97 Nightmare Rituals II

Number 97

Robin threw another swing at the punching bag in front of him. Huffing, he used his leg to give a roundhouse kick, then followed up with some more punches. The gym was filled with the sounds of him taking out his frustration, but it was better than sitting in his room, thinking about it. He didn't even know that he wasn't alone in the room until Starfire spoke.

"Robin?" Starfire asked. Robin jumped, so focused on forgetting, that he blocked out the world around him. He moved away from the punching bag and towards his girlfriend. Starfire's hair was a mess, but her eyes were alert. And worried. Robin hated that he made her feel like that again.

"Is something wrong, Star?" Robin asked when he got close to her. She wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her hand under his chin. They stayed like that for a while, until Starfire started to lead them out of the room. Robin halted.

"What are we doing?"

"We," Starfire explained, "Are going to bed. Because it is late, and I know that Raven will yell again if she sees how tired you are."

"I don't need to sleep! I'm fine," Robin protested. Starfire stared at him.

"We," Starfire explained "Are going to bed. Because it is late, and I know that Raven will yell again if she sees how tired you are."

"I don't need to sleep! I'm fine," Robin protested. Starfire stared at him.

"You had another nightmare, didn't you?" She asked. Robin didn't answer. Starfire kissed him, and resumed tugging him along.

"I will watch over you tonight. No nightmares will bother you, beloved."

When morning came, Starfire had her arms wrapped around him, and he didn't have a single nightmare.

X

Raven knew she should sleep. Tomorrow would just be that much harder if she didn't sleep, or at least try again, since it was obstacle course training in the morning. Currently she was trying to make her way through _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban._ She had just gotten to the part when the Knight Bus came when she was joined in the common room.

"Late night?" Beast Boy asked as he got a glass of water. Raven shrugged as she turned a page, suddenly not interested in her book.

"Couldn't sleep. Why are you awake?" Raven questioned. Beast Boy sat down next to her and flipped her book over to see what she was reading.

"Too restless. Haven't you read this a dozen times?" Beast Boy said. Raven rolled her eyes.

"Well, most people like reading the same book more than once. You pick on things you didn't that last time."

"Oh, well I guess that's fine. I figure if you've read it once that's good enough," Beast Boy told her. Soon they were involved in a discussion on how many times was appropriate to re-read a book. By the time Raven felt tired again, she fell asleep so quickly she had no time to think about her recent nightmare.

X

Cyborg very rarely had nightmares. Usually, when he recharged for the night, he just entered a mindless sleep. Nightmares, he learned later on as he adjusted to his new body, were only charged when he was overly stressed. Then the human part of his brain crossed over to his robot part.

Cyborg didn't remember the nightmare well, only that he was rolling in something, and then there was blistering pain, followed by a crunching sound. Cyborg woke up gasping, taking a few moments to make sure everything was in working order and not broken. Once that was done, and everything checked out okay, Cyborg unplugged himself and walked out of his room. Beast Boy's door was shut, but that wasn't a problem; his buddy had told him the code to his room a long time ago.

His best friend was curled up in his bed, part of a blanket covering him, lightly snoring. Cyborg sat down on the edge of the bed and gently fixed the sheet so that it wasn't blocking his face. He knew that Beast Boy could breathe fine, but it still made him nervous when it covered his face. Beast Boy stirred, stretched once, and looked up at his older friend.

"Rough night?" He asked. His voice was still thick with sleep.

"Eh, I've had better," Cyborg said softly. Beast Boy moved so that his body was leaning against his. They didn't talk, they knew exactly what had happened, and were content to be left to their own thoughts and just bask in the company of one another.

Beast Boy fell asleep at some point and Cyborg contented himself with watching his friend sleep.

X

A knock woke her up. Raven groggily pushed aside her covers and made her way to her door. When she opened it, Beast Boy was standing on the other side, sheepishly staring at his socks.

"Gar?" Raven asked gently. When he looked up he seemed lost.

"Sorry, I just couldn't sleep," Beast Boy said. Raven took his hand and led him into her room. Since they had started dating a little over a year ago, the times where he went to her for comfort after a nightmare were slowly increasing. She had been going to him for years, and it made her feel better to know she could help him finally.

She got them both settled in her bed, and she started to comb through his hair with her fingers. He nuzzled into her side. Turning on the bedside lamp, and pulling out the new book she had been reading, Raven opened it.

"Have you ever heard of Clive Cussler?" Raven asked as she flipped back to the first chapter. Gar shook his head.

"Well, he's a really good author. I think you'll like his main character. Now this book has a bit of backstory, but it picks up. It's about a World War II plane that disappeared…"

By the time she got to the fifth chapter, her boyfriend was asleep and Raven was more than content to follow him.

X

Robin was a light sleeper. He had a bell on his door handle, double checked the locks on his windows before he went to bed, and had motion detectors for anyone who wasn't a resident in the tower that went off if someone was there that shouldn't be. Call him paranoid, but Robin felt pretty safe in his own bed. That being said, when he rolled over, and saw Starfire looking at him, it took every ounce of his being not to scream like a little girl.

"Um, when did you get here?" Robin asked his girlfriend. Starfire ran her hand along the bedsheet.

"An hour ago. I didn't wish to sleep alone," She answered. "I…would prefer not to discuss it."

A nightmare then. Robin was familiar to them. The entire team was used to them. If Star felt comfortable enough to come to them for comfort, great. If she was comfortable enough to come to him, even better.

Reaching a hand out to brush a lock of her hair out of her eyes, Robin pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Come here, we might as well take advantage of the cuddle time," Robin said as he pulled her closer. The two snuggled close, talking of little things, and didn't notice that the sun was rising until much later.

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Author's Note: I'm hoping some cuteness will help me erase the horrifying memories of the house I had to clean. Read and Review minions!


	46. Number 34 Possessive Raven

Author's Note: Have some BBxRae toady to start off your morning. Read and Review guys!

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Number 34

"Come on! You have to have some embarrassing stories," Speedy moaned as he draped himself over the back of the couch. Beast Boy, trying to mend the cuff of his glove, stared at him for a moment before going back to his work.

"Yes, I do. No, I won't tell you. Mostly since Cy has enough dirt on me to choose from and I would rather not start a war right now," Beast Boy said. He winced when the tip of the needle pierced his finger. Speedy began to poke his shoulder.

"Fine, then something on Robin, perhaps? I just need something to use against him after he pulled that hair gel prank," Speedy suggested. Beast Boy smirked.

"Are you sure it was Robin?" Beast Boy said. "Anyone could have access to the toxic waste that you call hair gel."

Speedy frowned, and flung himself over the back of the couch to actually sit on it. He crossed his arms across his chest.

"I think I would know if someone messed with my stuff, mister golly green midget," Speedy told him. Beast Boy snorted.

"Ya, like I haven't heard that one before," Beast Boy muttered. The doors opened and Raven walked through with Aqualad trailing her.

"I didn't mean to say that to her in an insulting way! I swear I didn't," Aqualad told the empath. Raven turned and arched an eyebrow at the teen.

"Right, cus telling Bumblebee that her being on her period is cause for her to sit out isn't the least bit insulting." Raven's voice was dripping with sarcasm. Aqualad floundered a bit at the mention of female bodily functions, but he quickly rebounded.

"No, no I just meant that it might be better for her if she sat out for a while until she felt better. I never meant for her to think that she wasn't fit to fight," Aqualad rushed to explain his reasoning.

Raven was about to say something when the other conversation of the room caught her attention.

"Ok, Kermit, spill. Just one little story on the boy wonder and we're good," Speedy bargained. Suddenly, the archer was hanging upside down by a band of black energy. Raven was standing off to the side, eyes narrowed furiously, and Speedy's gulp was audible.

Aqualad placed himself safely in the kitchen out of the warpath. Beast Boy was staring at something that looked a lot like thinly veiled interest over the situation. Raven walked over so that her head was even with Speedy's upside down one. The archer paled visibly.

"Look, Raven, we're good right-" He was cut off by another, smaller, band of magic. Raven tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Let me tell you something, Speedy," Raven began. "I don't share well. I have few things I do enjoy, and others that I don't care about having to share. But this is one thing I don't share. Not at all, and I don't like other people trying to surpass me."

Beast Boy was smiling at this point, and Aqualad had risen slightly from his position behind the counter.

"Poking fun at Beast Boy is my job. Not yours, mine. Also, insults are off limits when using the phrase 'Kermit'. Try it again and we all will see just how good of a swimmer you are." Raven turned to look at Beast Boy, who was smiling broadly now. "Beast Boy, let's go."

The changeling didn't bother to ask where they were going, just that Raven had left the red haired superhero in a state of shock. With a wave of her hand, the black bands suspending him in midair disappeared. Speedy landed with a thud on the floor.

As Beast Boy and Raven left the room, having a completely unrelated conversation, Speedy watched them with wide eyes. Turning to his teammate, Speedy tried to gain back his bravado.

"Are you certain they aren't dating? Cus I'm pretty sure that proves that I won the bet."


	47. Number 64 Cyborg vs Dogs Part II

Number 64

How Cyborg ended up driving, to the complete opposite end of Jump City, with the entire team, plus a poodle, was beyond him. They had been leaving a coffee shop, since Starfire had accidently broken the coffee maker and Cyborg couldn't be bothered to fix it just yet, even on pain of death. The poodle had run up to them, finding Raven's cloak particularly interesting, before deciding that it liked the team. At that point the others had noticed the dog and the absence of an owner. So, they decided to wait outside the shop, thinking that the owner would come by looking for the dog. After an hour, no one had come by and the dog was now curled up beside Raven and Beast Boy.

It didn't care too much for Robin or Starfire. It most certainly didn't like Cyborg, who at the first sign of trying to pet it, pinned its ears back and placed a paw and tail on his two teammates. Another twenty minutes past before they decided to try another way of finding the owner.

"Check the dog tag, that'll have the name of the owner and a number to contact him," Robin suggested. Beast Boy lifted up the dog tag, and read off the information. The dog, named Zoey, belonged to a mister John Franklin, and his phone number was displayed beneath it. Robin wrote down the information on a napkin from a nearby table and went inside to use the landline. The others waited outside. Zoey began to whine and decided the best option for her was to nibble on the sole of Beast Boy's shoe. She kept her eyes on Cyborg as the others petted her. Robin came outside a little while later.

"I got a hold of him. He said she got lose yesterday and he's been checking the local pounds. I told him it wouldn't be any trouble to take her back home, so he doesn't have to waste the gas," Robin explained. Cyborg narrowed his eyes; behind her hand, Starfire laughed.

"And just who is going to be driving there, huh, Robin?" Cyborg asked. Robin smiled.

"Think of this as a good way to rack up good karma," Robin told him.

And that was how he came to have the entire team plus a distrusting poodle in his car. Starfire was in the passenger seat; Raven, Beast Boy, and Robin were in the back. Zoey was enjoying walking across their laps and sticking her head out the window.

"She better not pee on my seats," Cyborg grumbled. Beast Boy laughed. Cyborg looked in the rear view mirror so he could see his friend. "I mean it B, if she goes, you're cleaning it."

Twenty minutes later they arrived at John's house. It was nice, with a clever picket fence and everything. A man was standing outside in the driveway. He waved when they pulled in.

"Thank you so much! Honestly, I should have invested in some type of collar or a better fence," He said as he bent down to pet his dog. Zoey seemed unfazed by it all. After exchanging pleasantries, and John thanking them again for returning his dog, the two parties left to go their own ways. Just as they were about to get into the car, Zoey trotted back over, and, staring right at Cyborg, lifted her leg.

No one spoke as Zoey marked her spot right on the bumper of Cyborg's beloved car. Zoey finished, wagged her tail, and trotted back inside. Cyborg turned to face Robin and Beast Boy.

"You are so to blame for this," Cyborg hissed as he pointed at Robin. He turned to Beast Boy.

"And you, smiling McGee, are cleaning this."

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Author's Note: Have so more Cyborg for your day. Also, while planning what is getting written when, I've noticed that I never did a #66 for One Hundred Truths. So, I will let you guys decide what gets written. Any story idea you have, PM me and maybe it will get written (who am I kidding I wanna write everything you guys suggest) Read and Review guys!


	48. Number 87 Starfire's Resolutions

Number 87

Starfire loves her friends.

It isn't a secret. Starfire, by nature, is very open about her feelings and emotions. She tries to find joy in each day, regardless of the situation. In the way that Robin has to find some sort of problem to solve each day, or Raven with her sarcastic wit, or Beast Boy with his jokes, or Cyborg with his car facts, she needs to find one happy thing each day. Without it, she feels sort of empty.

When she first heard of New Years, she was confused. Why wait a whole year to make a goal? Why not work at all the time, instead of wasting time waiting for a new year to start. Cyborg, who had been explaining at the time, had only shrugged and said it had always been like that. She hadn't made a resolution that year, but the next one she did.

Each of them would write down their goals on a slip of paper and then they would light a match and burn them in a bowl. That why it would be private and 'in the air', and Robin called it. They never asked what each other wrote, merely acknowledged that they would try their best to achieve their goal. Starfire took hers seriously.

She wanted her friends to be happy.

Each day she made sure of that. She smiled at Raven's quips, even if she didn't understand it. She made an effort to listen to one of Beast Boy's stories. She asked Cyborg about the T-Car. She helped Robin with whatever problem he had picked to solve that day.

It wasn't as big as donating to charity. It wasn't like she was volunteering at the local shelter. She wasn't making a goal to lose weight, or eat healthier. She just wanted to make sure her family remembered to smile, to laugh, that even after the worst of days they could still find joy around them.

And if next year she wrote down the same thing, then so be it.

This was a resolution that would require many years of work, and Starfire was more than willing to take on that challenge.

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Author's Note: Sorry this is so short. Work was kicking my ass this week. Send in your ideas for #66 (I already got one in). Also, Flu Bugs 2 is in the works. Read and Review guys!


	49. Number 31 Stuffed Animals

Number 31

The creature in front of him was huge.

Robin could have used a lot of other adjectives, but that was the first that came to mind. The stuffed animal was a giant penguin, towering close to five feet, and looked more like a giant black and blue marshmallow then a regal flightless bird. When he had shown it to the other boys, it had taken Beast Boy close to five minutes to control his laughing so he could offer his opinion. If he wasn't so pressed for time, Robin would have considered the manager's concern to Beast Boy shaking shoulders as funny.

He and Starfire would be celebrating their second anniversary and he wanted to get her something nice. Star had asked for something simple, and Robin wanted to get her something that would be along those lines, but still say that he bought it. They were looking at the local toy store, how they ended up there looking for a gift was beyond him, and he had left Cyborg and Beast Boy along in the aisle with the nerf guns to look at the stuffed animals. That was where he spotted it and now he couldn't stop looking.

The price of the toy was staggering. He was sure that it would take both he and Beast Boy at least three weeks of savings together (yes, he actually saves his money, who knew) to buy the thing, even then they still may fall short.

"Maybe there's another one, but a smaller version?" Beast Boy suggested. Robin shrugged, and turned to look at the shelves holding the smaller stuffed animals. They had everything really. There were the classic animals, the teddy bears, and then the more creative ones. Beast Boy's eyes were wide as he held up something crossed between a bat and octopus.

"Don't ever ask me to change into this," He told Robin. He was able to laugh for the first time today, which was good, since Cyborg decided that he had had enough of waiting and shot Beast Boy in the back of the head with a tester nerf gun. Robin maintained his look of team leader for exactly five seconds before being pulled in. By the time that they had finished, Robin had an idea finally.

As Beast Boy bent down to help Cyborg pick up the darts, Robin whispered a question to him. Beast Boy walked back over with him to the shelves and pointed to several possibilities. Picking the one he thought would work best, he took two and walked over to cash register. Cyborg was ahead of him, paying for his own stuff, which included two nerf guns.

"This is going to turn into an obsession, isn't it?" Robin asked him. Cyborg laughed as he held over the money.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Rob," Cyborg said cheerfully. Robin placed his items on the belt.

"As long as you don't hit Raven I think it'll be fine," Robin said. When they got back to the tower, Robin sought out his girlfriend.

"Open it," Robin said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Starfire eagerly opened the bag and pulled out a white bird stuffed animal. Starfire squealed in delight. Robin pulled out the other one and explained.

"Their turtle doves. According to an expert," Starfire had to laugh at the wink that Robin gave her, "they mate for life. And I want that to be us. We've had ups and downs, and I know there will be more, but I love you more than anything Star." Robin was blushing hard at this point. Starfire leaned in to kiss him.

"I would be more than happy to be your other turtle dove."

To this day, Robin still has his stuffed animal, the only one in his room, sitting on his bedside table, so it is the first thing he sees when he wakes up, and the last when he goes to sleep.

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Author's Note: Hello minions! Have some cute RobxStar for your morning. Get your ideas in for #66 and read and review! Also, I've had Gar now for a month today :)


	50. Number 41 Blanket Thief

Number 41

His blanket was missing.

Robin stalked through the tower, intent on finding his object, not caring how long or where he had to look. The blanket wasn't any ordinary blanket, oh no. This was a high end blanket. It was fuzzy, red with blue stars, and made of the softest fabric ever. It was warm, and comfy, and Robin was extremely mad that when he went to curl up in it earlier it was missing. It wasn't on the couch where he had left it and Robin wasn't going to rest until it was found. Not one bit.

It was winter in Jump City. While there wasn't snow, they got cold fronts since they were so close to the bay. The tower was huge, so heat wasn't on in half the building, to save money and energy, and only on in the most used rooms. This reason made blankets key. Nothing was better than coming back from patrol and curling up in a fuzzy, wonderful blanket. But his, of course, was missing.

So, here he was. Slightly numb in his toes, cranky from lack of coffee, and in the mood for nothing more than finding his own blanket.

He found it on the tenth floor, one of less used floors in the winter, being used by the resident changeling. Robin should have known. Beast Boy had a habit of hoarding blankets, using them all even in the hottest of summer, without breaking a sweat. Cyborg had shrugged, blamed it on the animal traits, but Beast Boy clearly didn't see any reason to explain it. Robin was fine with it too, until his own blanket was taken.

As he got closer, Robin's annoyance dwindled. Beast Boy was curled up under one of the big bay windows. Half of his face was buried under the blanket and Robin could see his ears twitching slightly as he approached. Robin let a small smile grace his face. Beast Boy always got tired come the colder months. He would curl up in the oddest places to sleep, causing some scare in the first year or so, and would be taken some place safer so they could keep an eye on them. It was common to see Cyborg crating him back to his room or the common room.

Robin slide down the wall, placing his leg near Beast Boy's face, and brushed his hair out of his eyes. Robin got his communicator out to snap a picture. They all had pictures of each other so one more wouldn't hurt. Saving the picture to his personal file to print later, Robin sent it to the other three. Deciding that it would be best to go back to the common room, Starfire had wanted to make s'mores in the microwave, Robin moved to collect his teammate.

Beast Boy didn't stir until Robin was halfway down the hall.

"Rob?" He mumbled into his shoulder. Robin chuckled.

"It's okay, I'm just getting you someplace comfy," Robin said. He tucked Beast Boy's head under his chin and readjusted his grip. "When the heck did your legs get this long?"

"I was going to give it back," Beast Boy said. Robin pressed the elevator button with his foot.

"What, my blanket?" Robin asked. Beast Boy nodded.

"Ya, it's really warm." Robin smiled as the doors opened.

"Trust me, I know. You can give it back when you're more aware," Robin told him. Beast Boy curled up against his chest.

"And you will give it back," Robin teased. "I know how many you have, and this one is off limits."

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Author's Note: Have some cute titans fluff. Also, send in your ideas (I really liked the one I got this morning). Read and review minions!


	51. Number 55 The Carnival

Number 55

Crowds weren't Raven's thing. She preferred the quiet of the tower, when she could find it, and the coziness of her room. She didn't like screaming children, hyped up on sugar, or the supposed lack of manners. But it was Starfire's turn to pick the team activity and the carnival was in town. Beast Boy had dragged her out, refusing to leave her door until she came, and he had been carted off by Cyborg to go ride the roller coasters. Raven had wandered around some of the small booths, but found herself sitting on a bench. She looked at her watch wondering when she could go home.

"You know the whole point of these things is to have fun," Beast Boy said as he dropped himself on the bench. Raven shrugged.

"Not my kind of thing," Raven replied. She noticed the absence of a certain metal teen. "Where's Cyborg?"

"Trying to impress someone at the ring toss. Last I checked he was failing," Beast Boy laughed. Raven rolled her eyes. Several parents came by, carting three screaming children between them, and Raven shook her head.

"I don't understand how people could like a place like this. It's doesn't seem like fun," Raven wondered out loud. Beast Boy stretched his legs out.

"It is fun. Carnivals have something for everyone," Beast Boy said. Raven shook her head.

"Not me. Places like this aren't my thing."

Beast Boy frowned and Raven looked away. The expression seemed wrong on her teammates face. Beast Boy had few instances where he looked troubled. The feeling bugged her and she searched for a reason to get some alone time.

"Don't you have some rides to go on? Or consume massive amounts of sugar?" Raven questioned.

"I've ridden all the ones I wanted too and no, it isn't a good idea for me to eat a ton of sugar. Trust me, I found out the hard way," Beast Boy responded. Raven crossed her arms and looked at her friend.

"Do I even want to know?" Raven asked. Beast Boy laughed.

"Well, let's just say not even Cy knows that story," he said. The carefree smile he directed at her made the knot in her stomach relax a bit. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, watching the people go back and observing the kids as they ran from one attraction to the next.

"You know what, I think I have perfect ride for you," Beast Boy said out of the blue. Raven frowned and began to protest when her green skinned teammate pulled her from her bench and began dragging her through the crowds. Her argument didn't seem to faze him, since Beast Boy didn't listen to her, and pulled her steadily across the fairground. Soon, they came to one of the less crowded areas where a carousel was placed. It was painted royal blue with hints of yellow. There were dozens of hand carved animals placed on the rotating platform. Beast Boy led her into the line, which was empty except for a few smaller children and an elderly couple.

When Raven got to the front of the line, Beast Boy let her go first.

"So, now what do we do?" Raven asked. Beast Boy hopped up on to the platform. Raven followed him.

"Well, pick an animal and then the ride starts. It goes around and around, then it's over. No crazy spins or loops," Beast Boy said as he leaned against one of the giraffes. Raven looked. Feeling a bit overwhelmed, and hearing the bell meaning the ride would start soon, Raven hopped up on the one closest to her. It was a cheetah, lean and in a running pose. Beast Boy sat beside her on the giraffe, and the ride began. Like Beast Boy said, it just went around in circles, and the music from a large music box in the center was nice, and neither of them felt the need to talk.

The ride was over much quicker than Raven had expected. Beast Boy helped her down off her animal and the platform, and they exited the ride. The park seemed less crowded now.

"Everyone went to the fireworks I guess," Beast Boy pointed out. Raven brushed back her hair and started walking in the opposite direction of the crowd.

"Come on, let's go find a place to watch," Raven said. Beast Boy looked surprised, but quickly followed her. They found a patch of grass next to the ring toss booth. The fireworks wouldn't start for another fifteen minutes and they were debating calling to find out where the others were.

"Thanks, for doing to the ride," Beast Boy said. Raven turned her head.

"Um, you're welcome, I guess," Raven asked. Beast Boy pulled some grass out and began to fiddle with it.

"You don't usually do stuff like that. I just think it's nice to see you enjoying something for a chance rather than being all solemn about it."

Raven almost snipped back about how she did enjoy stuff, but her powers were unstable at the best of times, but the sincerity on Beast Boy's face stopped her. It wasn't long before Cyborg found them and plopped himself down next to Beast Boy.

"So, what have you two been up to?"

Raven smiled lightly beneath her hood.

"Oh, nothing much, just rode some rides," Raven told him. The small smile on Beast Boy's face was almost enough to go on the carousel again.

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Author's Note: Well, we're over the hump. Halfway done with this collection. Also, send in your ideas for #66 :) Read and Review guys!


	52. Number 67 BB's Languages

Number 67

Beast Boy loves proving people wrong. Many would think he isn't that bright, with his upbringing, but nothing pleases him more than wowing them with some fact. The best is the fact that several international titans have felt the need to speak in tongues, trying to one up the titans, only for him to understand them clearly and respond back in kind. One of the few lessons he still uses from the Doom Patrol is never to show everyone what cards you have in your hand. Language were key back then, sometimes knowing the dialect could make the difference between a peaceful night or one spent sleeping with one eye open and a knife under your pillow.

English was his native language, Swahili a close second, and within three years after that he could speak French and German with ease. Raven can translate any text they have to, but when international relations come into play he's the guy acting as translator and interpreter. The others never found out, not for a good year, about his other tongues. It wasn't in his file, once again the whole keep your arsenal secret, even with your team. It was by accident really; Robin had been trying to decode something, and had openly asked for a translation for a German phrase. The answer had slipped past his teeth without registering and after that the cat was out of the bag.

But there was a funny habit that always happened after that. Each of them did something weird when they were overly tired. Robin would try to haphazardly organize something, usually resulting in a larger mess. Starfire would often wander around the tower searching for Silkie, Raven would often find stacks of books clustered around her room, with no memory of taking them off the shelves. Cyborg would try to work on the T-Car, more often than not causing a pile of tools that would later serve to make him trip.

Beast Boy tended to flip flop between languages without noticing. The others, however, did. This caused confusion a lot when conversations were going on, since he would be talking in English to Cy only to switch over to French.

This was the situation they found themselves in today.

After three back to back calls, a night patrol, and a training session on top of it, all of them were slowly falling asleep in various positions in the common room. Robin was draped over the couch, Starfire was leaning against him. Raven was sitting on the opposite couch. He and Cyborg were leaning against where the empathy had placed herself on the couch. Cyborg yawned and Beast Boy curled up on the floor. Cyborg poked him with his foot.

"Come on, B, don't leave me hanging," Cyborg moaned. The changeling had been in the middle of a conversation with the cyborg before he began to fall asleep. Beast Boy batted his foot away.

"Nein, lass mich schlafen*," Beast Boy mumbled. Robin laughed. Cyborg poked him again.

"No fair, you know I don't get German," Cyborg said. Beast Boy rolled over so he was facing him.

"Well, not my fault you don't have German in that big brain of yours."

Cyborg poked him again before reaching up to try and reach one of the blankets on the couch. Raven saw what he was doing to handed him one. Beast Boy reached up and took it from him and curled back up on the floor. Cyborg's mouth opened in shock, and Starfire chuckled at the antics of the friends.

"No, B, give it back," Cyborg whined. He tried to pull it away but Beast Boy pulled it closer.

"Meine Decke*," Beast Boy said as he pulled a corner over his head. Cyborg decided that his protest wasn't going to work, so he flopped his upper body on top of Beast Boy's and began to pull. Beast Boy, somehow, rolled away, with the blanket, and curled up on the couch next to Raven. She shifted so they were both comfy.

Originally, the others didn't believe that he knew so many languages. In the end, he been forced to concede that he had wasn't too shabby at them; he could easily speak Swahili fluently, and all he needed to do was quickly brush up on his French, and German came back after a few moments. They didn't understand why he hid his knowledge; he didn't tell them he wasn't used to being on a team where he was given praise for his special talents. Slowly, the rest of the team began to get used to the idea. It took him some time, too, if he was being honest.

Robin would discreetly slip him books in whatever of the three languages he could find. Popular books that were translated into other languages began ending up on his shelves and for Christmas the following year, a beginner's book for Russian and Italian were presented to him. The tag said "Santa", but all of their handwriting was on the card. Raven told him later it was because they didn't want him to lose the knack for acquiring languages.

Today, he still can run circles around anyone in a different tongue. Italian is slowly growing on him, though Russian is the cause of him coming to dinner in a frustrated mood some nights. His post-it notes are scribbled with questions and notes about whatever book he chose for the day. Sometimes it makes him stop, when the others asked a question about a phrase, or when they ask to learn something. Usually, it was him asking them to teach him something. The occasional, now more recently occurring, turn around still makes him get a bit tongue tied.

He still has a list of things he wants to learn, such as Gaelic (have you seen the countryside of Ireland?), and eventually to go back to travelling the countries where he learned his first languages.

Maybe one day the others would want to go too.

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Author's Note: This one has been requested a lot. Hope I did it justice. Also, I'm going to Pennsylvania till Sunday so I won't be posting till I get back. Until then, read, review, and send in ideas for #66. Have an awesome rest of July minions!

-No, let me sleep

-My blanket


	53. Number 80 Just Dance

So this collection has reached 34,633 views! You guy's rock!

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Number 80

There were some games in the tower that all of them participated in; there were fewer that all of them could do well. When there was a lull in criminal activity, and they all decided that they needed a laugh, Cyborg would fire up the Wii and put in _Just Dance_. All of the hottest songs made the game, and soon the common room would be filled with Katy Perry, Ke$ha, or Jennifer Lopez. Group dances were always a laugh; with only one person on the team who knew how to dance, it sometimes caused one of the others to try and beat them (aka, see Robin and Cyborg with their competitive personality). This is what the situation was today.

Starfire wanted to go first, and Raven got pulled up by her. Tik Tok was picked. Raven easily flowed through the first set of moves, Starfire getting a few perfects now and then. Towards the end of the song, both of them were tied. Raven was moving frowning when she got a perfect or good and Starfire did as well. The final pose of the song came on; both of them missed it be a second. In the end, Raven won by a few points. As per rules, Raven picked the next song and the player. Smirking, she got Robin up with her and picked Barbie Girl by Aqua. The sight of their strict leader swinging his hips to the catchy toon was too much. Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy were all doubled over in laughter. Despite the funny visual in front of them, Robin won by a landslide; Raven lost too many points when Robin started to make faces to go with the dance moves.

"Five minutes, please, until I can breathe again," Cyborg begged with laughter. Beast Boy wiped away tears of mirth and had to avoid looking at Cyborg; the two burst into giggles again when they made eye contact. Robin plopped down on the couch. Raven rolled her eyes at his antics as she handed the remote to the boy wonder.

"Alright, go ahead, pick the next song," Raven said. Robin flipped through the choices until he found one. He pulled Beast Boy up next to him.

"I bet I can beat you on this," Robin boosted. Beast Boy smirked; the others hid their smiles. Rasputin was a hard dance, and Beast Boy could easily pick up the moves. Within the next minute, Robin was struggling to keep up. Beast Boy was laughing and was still racking up points. The song ended with Beast Boy beating Robin by a large lead. Robin pouted as he sat back on the couch. Beast Boy patted his shoulder.

"It's ok, there are a few songs on there that are more your level."

Raven chuckled behind her hand; a few cups in the kitchen broke. Cyborg dissolved into laughter again. Starfire kissed her boyfriend's cheek to sooth his wounded ego. Reluctantly, Robin handed over the remote with sadness.

In the end, Starfire and Beast Boy tied. Robin got beat by Cyborg, with Raven ending up in the middle. After looking at the clock, the boy wonder herded his team off to bed.

There would be time tomorrow to try and reclaim some of his wounded ego.

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Author's Note: Hope you guy's liked it! Read and Review!


	54. Number 88 New Year's

We've reached 35,577 views! You minions are amazing!

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Number 88

Raven curled up tighter next to her boulder. Technically, it wasn't hers, or anyone's for that matter, but it made her feel better thinking she owned more than the clothes on her back and her busted communicator. It had been close to two weeks since Robin had fired their only method of communication. Now, they were spread out, in a landscape they weren't familiar with, and with a group of villain's hell bent on destroying them. What made it worse was that her friends could be captured already. It made her shiver, not from the cold, but fear.

Where were her friends now? Were they stuck in the same positon? Were they still free, or had they been taken? It was obvious who the Brotherhood would go for first. Robin would have a giant target on his back, and Beast Boy too since he had been fighting them longer than any titan. She wished she could fix her communicator, but it wouldn't do any good. The only thing it was good for now was the time and what day it was. Last she checked, it was December 31st. Soon, it would be New Year's Day, and she'd be alone.

Right now they could be at the tower, all piled onto the couch. They'd be wearing those ridiculous party hats that Starfire and Beast Boy convinced them to put on their heads. Robin would bake his famous peanut butter cookies (only made during the holidays) and they would finish off the last of the egg nog. They'd watch movies, or play games on the console, until the ball dropped. Then they would all fall asleep in various positions on the couch or the floor.

Tonight was a different story.

There was no team, no party, and no celebration to attend. Perhaps her friends were fighting right now. Maybe they had found one another. Maybe her communicator would be working soon and she could track down another one of her teammates. The darker part of her brain whispered other things. That any of them could be injured. They could be dead. They could be captured. Raven shook her head.

She knew her friends.

They were tough, and strong, and smart. They would get out of this alive and still beat the Brotherhood. Raven glanced down at her busted communicator. The date had changed. Her musings had made her miss the switch.

The New Year had rolled in. She wasn't surrounded by her family, but they were out there somewhere. She wasn't in the tower, but at least she had cleanish clothes and some food with her. People were out looking for her. They hadn't found her yet. Raven pulled out her water bottle. She had just enough left for one last sip. She unscrewed the cap, feeling sentimental all of a sudden, and didn't bother to brush away the burning in her eyes. She lifted the bottle up to the night sky.

"Happy New Year's." Raven drank hoping it would be.

* * *

Robin sat up in the plastic chair and cracked his back. The medical ward was silent save for the various machines in use and the clock on the wall. The others were asleep scattered around the room. Cyborg was on the floor near the door; Beast Boy and Raven were piled on the other medical bed in the room. Robin brushed Starfire's hair back again. It was making him anxious that she hadn't woken up yet, but Cyborg said she had taken a major hit. There would be no lasting damage, thankfully, but she probably wouldn't wake up just yet.

The last battle with Cinderblock had left them all winded. Cyborg had several dents in his plating, Beast Boy had a bruise forming on his jaw that would extend to his eye by tomorrow, and Robin had a few sore ribs. Neither boy would allow Raven to heal them; Starfire had the worse injuries and besides they could handle the discomfort for a bit longer. His girlfriend was sleeping on the cot, chest rising and falling easily. Raven's help had healed her broken ribs and stopped the bleeding in her abdomen. By the end of the week, she'd be fine.

This was a good way to start off the New Year. The call had come in just a few hours before they kicked off their celebration. But it didn't bug any of them; Starfire was okay. If it had been more serious than this they wouldn't be sleeping. He knew of two members who would probably go out looking for criminals just to vent their frustration. As it was, Raven had blown several mugs with her worry and Beast Boy had bit grinding the cuff on his glove so much that he had bitten through. Cyborg was the calm one.

He worked to stabilize Star, and made sure she stayed there. Now, hours later, the metal teen was finally resting, confident that their girl would live through the night. Robin lifted her hand, the one without the IV in it, and pressed it to his lips. The city was quiet, not that he could hear much other than the muted sounds of the waves. Raven shifted on the other bed; she almost kicked off Beast Boy, but he just rolled curled up closer to the bed frame. Robin smiled lightly at his team. They had made it another year together.

Despite the fighting, both with the criminals and in-house, they were close. They had grown on the city and had expanded from a small crime fighting team to one on an international platform. The clock switched over to 12:01. New Year's had rolled in. Robin grabbed his left over coffee that Raven had brought up for him. He lifted it to the ceiling and then tilted it towards his teammates individually. He knocked back the cup and drank what was left of the bitter liquid and the dregs. Then he leaned over and kissed Starfire's forehead.

"Happy New Year, honey."

* * *

In all honesty, now wasn't the best time to try and get his buddy's attention. Beast Boy was currently trying to keep Doctor Light's new machines from advancing on the left and boxing him and Robin in. Cyborg charged up his cannon and took out several of the machines. Robin threw a smoke bomb and like clockwork the three moved and regrouped. Unspoken commands were almost as important as the spoken ones. Robin hustled them both behind a stone corner and planned their next move.

"I need coverage from the left. We've got to give the girls a chance to move in," Robin told them. Cyborg nodded and got into position to run out again with Beast Boy. Robin threw another smoke bomb and they ran. Within seconds, the machines came charging out. Beast Boy took down a bunch when he shifted-the form of the rapture hadn't been used for a while-while Cyborg blasted with his cannon. A few punches also did the trick. His alert started to beep. Groaning, Cyborg tried to mute it.

You see, there was a mental alarm clock in his head. It was wired to remind him of holidays, birthdays, things like that. Like today.

"B, before we get into any more crazy stuff, let me just say something," Cyborg began. Beast Boy dodged a piece of rock that had been hurled his way; with a simply shift, the rock was being thrown back. The machine crumpled to the ground. Beast Boy looked back at him.

"No offense, Cy, right now isn't the best time," Beast Boy grunted as he charged another wave of machines. Cyborg fired up his canon and got the ones that broke out of his friends reach. As that wave died down, Cyborg pulled his friend over.

"Five seconds, man."

A steel beam came flying; on instinct, Cyborg shielded Beast Boy from the debris. Coughing away the dust, Cyborg ruffled his hair.

"Happy New Year, grass stain," Cyborg said. Beast Boy grinned.

"Right back at you, dude. Now, let's try to stay in one piece. I'm not looking forward to starting off the New Year with Raven chewing me out about how reckless I was."

As Cyborg moved into another bunch of machines, he couldn't help but laugh.

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Author's Note: Have some family feels. Read and Review guys!


	55. Number 1 Cyborg's different playlists

We're at 36,210 views! You guys continue to amaze me

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Number 1

Cyborg was whistling when he walked into the common room. The sun was out, there hadn't been a call in two days, and best of all? The new parts he ordered for the T-Car came in finally. Now his baby would get a new pair of brake pads, a paint job, and a new rear bumper. The challenge had been getting Robin to see the need for these repairs, but after the third time his car got totaled, and the mood he was in, the boy wonder didn't ask anymore. As long as it didn't exceed $200, Cyborg was good.

Raven looked up from her tea at his cheery mood.

"Someone's happy this morning," Raven commented. Cyborg laughed and reached for a bagel. Popping it in the toaster he pour some orange juice.

"I slept great, my car parts came in, and there aren't any baddies to be seen," Cyborg said. Raven pointed a finger at him as she flipped a page in her book.

"Don't say another word. If you jinx us, I'll hit you."

Cyborg chuckled and went about his breakfast. The room was quiet without the others. Robin had decided it was a good time to clean out the file room, Beast Boy mentioned about going swimming with Aqualad, and Starfire was off doing something with Silkie.

He finished with his breakfast and heading down to the garage; he made sure to let Raven know she was invited to come if she felt like it. Sometimes the girl got lonely and Cyborg didn't mind her presence. She wasn't injury prone like Beast Boy or Robin. The garage was a welcome sight and soon Cyborg had plugged in his Ipod into the speakers. Black Eyed Peas came on, his 'feel good mix' as Robin called it.

He was belting out the lyrics to _Boom Boom Pow _as he fixed his baby. He lost track of the time as the songs began to change and he found himself pulled more into his work. There was something soothing about working on his car; much like the times where Robin would spend hours organizing or B would draw, it gave him some sense of calm. Almost like a recharge without needing the sleep. He didn't hear Robin come in till he threw a paper ball at him telling him it was supper time.

Cyborg left with a beaming smile.

* * *

Days like this never failed to piss Cyborg off. It was pouring outside, making every surface slippery. Cyborg was always aware of the limits of his friends. One fact that always made him a bit testy was that Robin sometimes forgot that three members of the team spent most missions in the air. With Robin ordering them to move ahead, on already hard to deal with surfaces during a battle, they didn't get much time to access the situation. Robin's eagerness and determination not to lose the criminal left his friends little time to notice their own security of the battle.

If Raven hadn't been pushed out of the way by Beast Boy, who had seen the flying concrete block, she would have been lying on the asphalt right now. Thankfully, all she suffered from was a few scratches. Beast Boy got a few stitches from hitting the ground before shifting. Robin had been contrite and worried after, but not before a reminder from Raven, who just finished checking out his little buddy, that while he didn't have to worry about things in the air, they did.

Now, it was much later, and Cyborg had holed himself away in the garage. He wasn't working on anything, he was too keyed up to try and be productive, choosing instead to fiddle with the various tools on his bench. His Ipod was once again hooked up, blaring Skillet out. He didn't need to worry about waking up the others; he had already activated the sound proof barrier. Only Beast Boy could hear him if he really focused.

Today had been too sloppy. Rubbing his face, Cyborg noticed an old generator in the corner. Plunking it down on the bench, Cyborg cranked up his music.

If he was going to be musing all night, he might as well be doing something.

* * *

Raven stalked through the seventh floor halls. Robin was laid out on the couch, idly reading a police report. Beast Boy was perched on the table, DS in hand, but he didn't seem to acknowledge her other than looking up. Another vibration went through the floor and Raven nearly growled.

"Would someone please tell me what the hell he's doing down there?" Raven hissed. Robin looked up and reached into his ear. Raven noticed that he pulled out an earplug.

"Cyborg's beyond pissed-not sure of the reason yet he threw Beast Boy out when we asked-and he's blasting his music," Robin explained. Raven frowned as her head throbbed.

"I can figure out that much, but why is he playing it so loud?" Raven asked. Robin shrugged and reached into his pocket. He held out another packet of ear plugs.

Raven took them and opened it.

"Who knows? Maybe in a few hours we can try again. Best to let him simmer down a bit before going back to ask him."

As another song blared through the tower walls, Raven guessed that it wouldn't be anytime soon. She rolled the earplugs in her fingers and put them in her ears. The material felt foreign, but it blocked the noise enough for her headache to lessen.

When Starfire came in a little bit later, Raven handed her a set on noise blockers and they all settled in to wait out whatever storm brewing in the base of their tower.

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Author's Note: I always figured Cyborg was the type to vent out his emotions with music. Anyway, hope you guys liked it! Read and Review!


	56. Number 20 Cyborg hates repairs

36,705 views! You guys rock :)

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Number 20

Cyborg could feel his blood pressure rising. The smoke hadn't cleared yet, and just looking at the mess surrounding him, he could tell that the main frame would need to scraped and redone completely. The kitchen was gone save a few chairs, and nearly all the windows in the common room were shattered. Robin huffed as he stood next to him.

"Well, the authorities have Mad Mod now," He said, glancing around the room. Cyborg rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Good for them. Now I get to look at a week of repairs without a crazy Brit looming over my shoulder," Cyborg muttered. Robin patted his shoulder and walked over to the supply closet to see if there was anything salvageable. Probably not, and Cyborg felt close to screaming when Robin came back holding a swifter, the only thing not broken. Closing his eyes and counting to ten in his head, Cyborg then set to work getting an order for the repairs.

The first thing that had to be fixed was the main frame. Without that they couldn't contact anyone, no calls could come in, and the systems were down. Cyborg grabbed Starfire so she could help him with gathering the necessary tools needed. When they returned, Robin had cleared enough debris away so he could get a clear look at his tech. Raven and Beast Boy were clearing the room of any glass. For once, the two weren't bickering.

"What can we do?" Starfire asked him as she set down her load. Cyborg shown his flashlight into the melted metal. There was use trying to save the frame; all of it had to be taken down and refitted.

"Try and clear up as much debris as possible. The next thing after this main frame is to fix the windows."

The couple went off to start in the kitchen, giving Cyborg the space he needed to work. He loved his friends, but he found that having no one around him as he worked made for a better thinking process. The metal had melted so much that it warped the wires beneath it. Cyborg groaned into his hands. He would need to completely change out the wires now. That alone would take him hours.

Starfire poked her head around to check on him but quickly went back to helping Robin gather the larger pieces of plaster from the fallen ceiling. Focusing on a lengthy repair, Cyborg got to work. Hours past, and soon the kitchen was clear, though very dusty, and all the glass had been repaired. Since the top windows had been shattered, Raven and Starfire were assigned to get those back in place. Robin and Beast Boy had been sent out to check to see if anything else in the tower had been damaged in the attack. Cyborg hoped not; at the state he was in with the main frame, anything else would be enough to send him fuming.

Beast Boy shuffled next to him slowly. Judging by the look on his best friend's face, it wasn't good.

"Do you want to good news or the bad news first?" Beast Boy asked. Robin peeked over at them from the kitchen. Cyborg set down his pair of pliers.

"Let me have it, B," Cyborg groaned. Beast Boy rocked on the balls of his feet.

"Well, the good news is that all the structures in floors eight to ten are holding," Beast Boy told him.

"And?" Cyborg pressed. Beast Boy shared a look with Robin; the boy wonder ducked away to fiddle with something on the counter.

"The wires are completely shot," Beast Boy said. Cyborg's frustrated cry could be heard anywhere on the island.

"Oh, come on!"

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Author's Note: More Cyborg! Enjoy! Also, number 66 will be coming soon...get ready for a bit of angst...read and review guys!


	57. Number 37 Post-Its

37,521 views! Awesome job guys :)

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Number 37

There were a lot of nonverbal ways to communicate on the team.

A hug meant that you cared. A shoulder squeeze was meant to reassure. A hair ruffle was playful, a kiss on the forehead was family love. A slap on the back of the head meant you were being an idiot. There were more, but the easiest ones to follow were the post-its. How they got into the tower was anyone's guess, but now they had become a part of tower life. Each of them got a bunch, in their respective color, to do with as they chose.

Robin had red ones, the most easily spotted in the tower. His were on everything; the coffee pot, the main computer, even on bedroom doors. They mentioned training exercises, forgotten chores, sometimes even a light scolding. When he was in a bad mood they only had a few words consisting of the phrases 'My office' or '20 laps around the tower'. It was understandable why he went through his the fastest.

Cyborg was second. His were blue. They were pinned up around the garage, on tools, but on other things too. Like drawers saying 'Don't open-that means you too B'. The T-Car had them as well. They were on the radio, threatening the passenger to change the channel. There were ones in the back, saying to please not leave marks on the back of the seats. Cyborg also left notes on doors, but more of the motherly type. Like 'Raven's reading-don't disturb'. Or during the winter months, 'Got Beast Boy sleeping in the common room.'

Starfire was third. Bright pink was her color. Mostly, Starfire used them to get a smile out of her friends. A post on an alarm clock with a 'good morning'. The friendly reminder to eat, or take a break, or even a Tameranian joke. On the rough days she left a longer message, such as 'A new box of tea is waiting for you in the kitchen' or 'The art store is having a sale, I have the coupon'. When Star discovered the joy of stickers, those ended up on the notes as well.

Raven and Beast Boy used theirs the most. The others had long since stopped trying to figure them out, since most of them were in argument form. They said things like 'sorry for the bruise', 'I'll replace the book-what was the author's name again?', and the most confusing, 'I'm not saying I mind the platypus, but they wouldn't win against a laser shooting baboon'. When the too started dating, they got more private; soon it was a game to place them in the other's room while sleeping. So far, Beast Boy was winning. The best one had been when they were eating breakfast with the team, Raven had walked in, kissed her boyfriend, and then asked how he managed to get one taped to her foot.

They framed some, displaying them in the common room. They ranged from messages based on the author.

I still love you guys, even if you break the coffee machine.

It's ok, carnivores are still nice for cuddling.

The stars in space are nice, but I have the best treasures here.

Each new shipment meant new opportunities to show that they cared, and with their job profession (with it's rate of casualties)it wasn't wasted.

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Author's Note: So, I go back to college Sunday...why not spend time posting? Read and Review guys!


	58. Chapter 50 Hide & Seek

Number 50

When this was over, whoever suggested hide and seek was going to be running laps around the tower until Robin felt tired. Currently, he was taking apart the basement, trying to find all the hiding places. They had been searching for several hours, without success, and it was getting clear that Raven and Beast Boy were having too much fun with this. The challenge was to be the last one standing; prize to be determined by the winner. Or winners, Robin thought with a groan as this room turned up empty as well. Robin stalked up the stairs fuming.

The rules had been set that the boundaries didn't exceed the shore, and in terms of hiding places it had to be large enough to fit a bread box. This only apply to Beast Boy, who had the advantage of becoming smaller than a penny. It had been a free for all; Cyborg had been caught by Starfire, and Robin had been caught by them both. Now, they were trying to find the two last players. It was clear that Raven and Beast Boy were just minutes ahead of them; the giggling (since when did Raven giggle?) often making them burst into a run only to find nothing. Soon, they began to leave notes.

There was one on the freezer: So close, but don't be too sad.

Another on the outside of an air vent in the training room: Tell Cyborg he just missed me.

Yet another on Robin's file cabinet: Rob, you need more paper clips. Also, try to keep up!

Starfire began to sing songs, hoping to drag them out by begging them to stop, but it didn't help. Cyborg tried bribery, even trying to annoy them enough to come out. Nothing worked. Robin began to run around ordering his little cape off. Nothing worked. Hours past and another note surfaced.

We'll give you until the food comes in. No pressure.

Robin saw a light at the end of the tunnel and took off. Cyborg and Starfire split up and started from the bottom floors. The only thing that would make this scene more comical was if the Jeopardy theme song began to play. A ping on his communicator drew his attention. Raven had sent him a message.

Cold.

Robin smirked; so they were playing this game, then? Soon, he met up with the others and they began to close in on Raven and Beast Boy. Cyborg punched the button for the garage. They were going to work their way up from the ground floor. As soon as they got out and began to move among the T-Car and Robin's motorcycle, another ping came through. Starfire opened the message that Beast Boy sent her: Freezing, need a sweater?

Starfire smirked; it had been a long time since they had played any game that had an edge of competition and she was loving it. Within minutes they had piled back into the elevator and went right back up.

They hadn't even stepped out of the elevator before they got another message. Seeing that it said they were still cold, Cyborg pressed the button for the top floor. Robin bounced on the top on his toes while they steady rose in silence. Cyborg was smirking and Starfire was floating a few inches off the ground. Already, the two looked lighter than they had this past week. With nothing but calls, late practices, and nursing a few injuries. This little game was sorely needed to raise the moral up again. Robin pushed those thoughts out until another time came up.

An hour later, they had narrowed down Raven and Beast Boy down to a single room. It was on the seventh floor, one of the floors used only when other titans came to stay. All three of them moved from room to room, eventually ending up at the last room near the bay window. Cyborg opened it with a grin. Starfire began laughing when she walked through the door.

Raven and Beast Boy were seated on one of the support beams, high in the air, playing a game of cards. They both looked up, at the same time which was creepy, and began to laugh.

"About time you got here," Beast Boy said as he morphed into a bird and landed on the ground. Raven floated down next to him.

"Don't worry," Raven assured a gaping Robin, "I'm sure you'll do better next time."

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Author's Note: Sorry this is being posted so late. I'm back at college (woo Junior year!) and will be trying to post as quick as I can. Read and Review guys!


	59. Number 66 Cons of being a changeling

Author's Note: I wanted to post this two days ago but the site decided to crash and not let me log in. But, it's working now so enjoy!

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Beast Boy had a short list of things that annoyed him. His least favorite was when someone, particularly someone he knew, pitied him. Beast Boy was used to bearing the brunt of a person's anger, could handle calming someone down from a rough day, but he drew the line at being felt sorry for. He never wanted pity, didn't feel comfortable giving it since almost everyone he grew up with or was around didn't need it, and it made him think back to all those days when Mento said he still wasn't good enough. Funny, how things change years later.

Today was not a good day. It was dark by the time all of them stumbled back into the tower. Beast Boy didn't bother going into the kitchen with the others, choosing a straight shot to his room and the shower. He could already feel the muscles in his back tightening and he was sure his shoulders would be popping soon. Constantly shifting made his body feel like a rubber band just shy of snapping. His plan was to shower, stretch, and sleep. Hopefully he could do all three before the next call came. He stumbled as someone stopped him.

Starfire pulled him back to the table. Internally, Beast Boy was groaning; he wasn't in the mood for some team bonding after a serious battle. All he could think about was a hot shower and blasting some music from his Ipod. Starfire sat him down and squeezed his shoulder. It took all his willpower not to flinch away.

"B, what do you want?" Cyborg asked as he raided the fridge. Robin was searching through the cabinets. Beast Boy leaned down so his head was on the table; his back was too tight for that so he sat up again slowly.

"I'm not hungry," He said and got up from the table. His back and shoulders were throbbing at this point. Robin frowned and put down the tin of coffee.

"You've got to be, you did over thirty miles today," Robin pointed out and reached for him. Turning felt slow, but he avoided his leaders hand and headed for the elevator. Or would have, if Raven did move in front of him. He didn't have enough patience for this.

"Raven, please move," Beast Boy asked. Raven narrowed her eyes.

"You need to eat something," Raven said. Beast Boy bit his tongue. Trying to explain to them that eating right now wouldn't be a good idea was pointless. Raven placed a banana in front of him.

"At least get your potassium back up," She ordered. The others went back to doing whatever it was that they were doing and he slowly nibbled on his fruit. Starfire sat down next to him and began to run her fingers through his hair. Normally, it would feel nice, but he really didn't want anyone touching him right now.

Robin made him jump when he placed his hand on his shoulder. The boy wonder stepped back.

"Seriously, are you ok?" Robin asked concerned. Beast Boy rubbed his face; the answer slipped out before he could stop it.

"Ya, my body just hurts," Beast Boy said. When he looked back up, the four of them were staring at him. Beast Boy looked back at them. "What?"

"What do you mean your body hurts?" Cyborg pressed. Beast Boy blinked.

"Um, it's sore. From the shifting," Beast Boy explained. Raven narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Raven accused. Beast Boy knew it wasn't their fault, but he couldn't help being a bit annoyed at them.

"Last time I check, I wasn't required to tell you everything. And it's not something that happens just once or twice. It's going to hurt each time I shift." Beast Boy told her. The tension in the room was heavy.

At the looks on his friends faces Beast Boy continued.

"Did you guys really think that shifting didn't hurt?" He wondered aloud. Robin looked down and Cyborg lowered his eyes. Beast Boy stood up.

"I'm going to bed. See you guys in the morning," Beast Boy said as he walked out of the room. No one followed him and he tried not to think why that was. Right now, all he was focusing on was a hot shower and sleep.

Hopefully tomorrow would be better.


	60. Number 33 The counting of animals

Author's Note: Here's some more Cyborg and Robin. Also, looking at my lineup, there's gonna be a lot of Raven ones coming up. Which makes me happy. So, read and review guys!

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It's hard to imagine the amount of creatures on the planet. Not humans, which would be a conversation with his best friend for another day, but animals were a safe topic. Cyborg and the others knew the basics of Beast Boy's powers. They knew that shifting changed the obvious appearance, and the inside, sometimes to mental aspect. They knew that shifting hurt horribly, and sometimes it was better not to ask how he was feeling after a bad day of fighting. Then there were the types of animals.

Typically, Beast Boy's favorites had to be the birds and sea creatures. Sometimes he could humor them and shift for them, but rarely. He could answer any questions they might have, like how fast a cheetah really was, or how far a whale could dive down before needing air. However, when asked how many animals Beast Boy knew he couldn't answer.

Cyborg was tuning up the T-Car and had asked the question to his friend who was perched on top of the workbench. Cyborg had turned around when he didn't answer.

"B?" Cyborg asked as he put down his wrench. Beast Boy held up a finger as he focused on a spot above his head.

"I'm not sure, actually," Beast Boy said after a while. Cyborg leaned back and frowned.

"Like, you can't remember, or you didn't count them?"

"No, I don't know the number," Beast Boy answered. "I know I had close to two hundred with the Doom Patrol, but after that I didn't bother keeping count anymore."

Cyborg tapped his fingers on the leather of his stool. The pride at knowing that Beast Boy didn't feel pressured to keep count like that anymore was good, but now Cyborg was curious. The conversation was dropped for months before he tried again.

However, it was not with Beast Boy that he talked with. Robin had been with him, and was as curious as he was. Mostly since he was the team leader, it was his job to know these kind of things, and he also wouldn't be satisfied until they had an answer. Thus began their journey.

Cyborg didn't tell Beast Boy he had installed a counter in his scanner. It would detect every type of animal he shifted into for the first time and log it. Robin and he would chart it, wondering when they would tell their green skinned friend.

Months pasted. They had reached over 100,000 different forms, all ranging from the ones in the air to the ones that roamed the sea. Land animals appeared a lot, and it didn't escape their knowledge that other forms, some that looked suspiciously Tameranian in nature, began to show in the mix. Soon, Robin and Cyborg were taking bets, wanting to see who would guess as to where their friend would be in a week, next month. Their counting also meant they knew which weeks were worse than others. High numbers meant lots of soreness, low ones meant extra bright smiles.

"Do you think we should tell him?" Robin asked one night. It was their turn for the night patrol and they were currently sitting in the T-Car. Robin had been fiddling with a loose pen he found under the seat; Cyborg was idly watching the cars pass by. Cyborg leaned back.

This little experiment had been going on almost a year. The girls didn't know, more importantly neither did Beast Boy. Cyborg drummed his fingers on the wheel. There had been plenty of times to tell him, but they never took it. Robin tapped the pen on his leg rhythmically.

"I think he might already know," Robin said. Cyborg frowned and stopped his drumming.

"How do you think that?" Cyborg asked. Robin shifted in his seat.

"Beast Boy may or may not have come up to me a few nights ago and told me that if we were keeping count to please let him know the final number."

Cyborg stared out the window and then started to laugh. Robin looked at him for a bit before he began to laugh too.

"God, we thought we were so clever, and he figured it out," Cyborg chuckled. Robin nodded. Cyborg opened the counsel of the car and fished out a paper and pen. Robin raised an eyebrow.

"Time to start tallying number, might as well keep him in the loop from now on, right?" Cyborg stated.

When Beast Boy got up the next morning, he found a piece of paper, listing all the categories of animals with their numbers, pinned up on the fridge.


	61. Number 68 Raven's favorite character

Author's Note: 3rd week of classes. Also, I now own a Nightwing t-shirt. Read and Review guys!

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Raven was asked at almost every single interview what her favorite book character was. They didn't single just her out, they tended to ask the whole team, but they focused mainly on her answer. It wasn't for lack of trying; she had simply been pegged at the resident book nerd, even though she and the others knew that any of them could have been pegged as well. Surprisingly enough, she'd never given a different answer to their questions. It was always the same character, every time, with mostly the same response. She explained however much was needed and stopped there.

That fact was, and Raven knew it was a cliché, her favorite character hadn't changed and neither had her reasons. Harry Potter was one of the best series for her to delve into after the day was over. The elements of magic, while not hard to imagine, were soothing. It was easy to pinpoint traits from characters in her friends. It was harder to find them in herself. Snape had always been easy to understand. Not in the cruel way he acted towards Harry, but in the way he put himself in two situations that could blow up in his face at any given time.

Raven had, and would continue to do, everything in her power to protect her friends. While this didn't include her siding with the Dark Lord, it meant that for her, if it meant going with Slade when the world was supposed to end, or playing with a villain for a little more time, she would do it. She had bribed and outwitted those in the war with the Brotherhood, and although she felt guilty about her actions, she always told herself: if she didn't do anything, there would have been a chance she could have died.

There was also the connection that both of them had come off as standoffish and thought others below them. She would always hate herself a little bit for the way she treated the others in the first few years. Granted, it could have been better if she told them why she couldn't express the emotion she wanted too, but she had always been told to keep everything she felt to herself. She imagined her team telling the Monks to shove it when it came to her; her childhood memories weren't something to brag about. Her friends were completely brag-able.

When she finally got around the explaining her reasons for liking his character, it was pitch black out, the others were fast asleep, and Robin had walked in from what looked like another fruitless night in the file room. Raven didn't say anything when he sat down next to her, nor when the darkness outside turned to rain as well. They didn't need to say anything; her and Robin's relationship wasn't one built on words necessarily. Usually it was judged by what they didn't say.

Tonight, however, the words came flowing out and Raven didn't bother to hold them back.

"You know, I could probably pick out a character to go along with all of us," Raven said. Robin looked up, and popped his back, before readjusting himself on the couch.

"From where?" Robin asked. He didn't bother asking why she mentioned it; as far as late night conversations went, this one was tame. Raven didn't rush to explain.

"I think that I could easily pin character traits on all of us," Raven said. It didn't scare her to include herself to that statement; years ago she would have fled the room, hide away until the morning came, no less.

"Alright then, humor me," Robin replied. Raven smirked.

"Starfire is Molly Weasley, Cyborg is Mad Eye Moody," Raven began. She frowned as she pondered the next two. "Beast Boy is Remus, you seem like a Harry figure."

Robin shrugged. "Better than Dumbledore."

Silence reigned for a while, both of them tie but not enough to go and sleep, and the quiet in the room was so soothing, it was nearly impossible for the tower to be quiet, that it made them both slip back into their own thoughts.

"You didn't name yourself," Robin pointed out after a time. Raven stood up. Her bed was calling to her like a siren.

"How do you think, Robin?"

Her friend's laugh echoed through the room.


	62. Number 24 The watchful eyes of Raven

Author's Note: Have some pre-BBRae fluff. Also, it's the first day of Fall tomorrow! Read and Review guys!

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Sometimes, Raven wonders what he would say if he ever found out. Most likely he would say something corny, since Beast Boy was trained to hold his tongue, but she could never get a clear picture in her head. Trying to predict Beast Boy was like trying to guess all the correct number on the lottery. Today, Raven wasn't trying to be subtle. She was on the roof, balancing a new book in her hands, but her mind and eyes were elsewhere. The boys were playing volleyball, getting one more game out of the net before the cold came in.

One of the first things she noticed was that Beast Boy was constantly changing the position of his ears. Anything that produced a sound was being caught. Once, Cyborg tested it, strategically dropping a weight on the ground floor when Beast Boy was conveniently on the top floor. When he was asked about it later, he didn't see anything strange about it, just asked if there was a hole in the floor now. Robin bounced on his toes as he dove forward to get the ball; Beast Boy helped by spiking it over the net. They both cheered in victory.

"You've been staring an awful lot today," Cyborg said to her right making her loose her grip on the book. It fell onto the concrete with a dull thud; Beast Boy's ears twitched but he was focused on the conversation between him, Robin, and Starfire. Raven held back at drawing up her hood, she hadn't needed it in months, but her face felt like it was on fire. Raven picked up her book and eyed Cyborg. The teen was sporting a growing grin and sat down next to her. He whistled innocently. Raven fought the urge to yell at him.

"Is there a new law against staring?" Raven asked as she brushed the dirt off the cover. Cyborg leaned back and put his hands behind his head.

"No, but it does get kinda suspicious if you stare at one thing, or one person, for long periods of time," Cyborg said. Raven narrowed her eyes at him; Cyborg seemed unfazed. These days, her threats were more of a kind of affection. Raven drummed her fingers on the concrete, watching the others talk. Robin was talking about something, and Beast Boy was nodding, clearly looking out to the water below the roof.

Raven hoped they were able to convince him to forgo to swim; the water temperature had been dropping, and they were always trying to avoid chances of him getting sick.

"He won't be mad, you know?" Cyborg reassured her. Raven said nothing. He might not be mad, just weirded out, and then Raven would be done. How could she explain to him that she was fascinated with how his ears worked, or how far he could see, or any other things he did. Cyborg bumped her shoulder with his. Raven gave him a small smile. Cyborg returned it without effort.

"How do you know?" Raven asked. Cyborg tilted his head at her. Raven didn't look at him, deciding to focus on how Robin was hitting the ball back and forth between Starfire and himself. Beast Boy was watching as he talked to Robin.

"That he won't be mad?" Cyborg clarified. Raven nodded. Cyborg bumped her shoulder. "Raven, I think by know you should know that B doesn't mad at those kind of thing." Raven bit her lip.

"He won't think it's creepy?" Raven muttered. Cyborg frowned.

"He regrets saying that," Cyborg said. Raven looked back at Cyborg with wide eyes. Cyborg looked at their friends, now involved in some sort of debate, if Robin's gesturing hands were any indicator. Raven leaned in when Cyborg beckoned her closer with his hand.

"I wouldn't worry too much about weirding him out, let's be honest. You might be surprised with his response." Cyborg told her. He got up, and stretched his arms. Raven looked up at him; she had to squint to see him in the sun.

"What would he say?" Raven asked. Cyborg smiled, looked over at Beast Boy, and back to her. He bent down in front of her.

"That it isn't weird at all, since he watches you like you watch him."


	63. Number 39 Raven and her jelly beans

Author's Note: Hope all of you lovelies are doing good! Read and Review!

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Sweets were something that Raven didn't have a lot of experience with before she came to Earth. The monks didn't have anything like the treats she is now used to, and even if they did they were never given to her. Such things like that were beyond her reach for reasons outside of her control. Now, however, she has access to them and it never fails to make her smile to know that. There is a certain freedom in being able to buy a candy bar or have a scoop of ice cream. Most times her friends wouldn't mind it.

Most times; there were stipulations within the tower. If you had a sweet, and there was someone near you, ask them if they wanted any. The fact that Cyborg and Robin fought like fiends over Kit Kats, or how civilly Beast Boy and Starfire traded off Skittles and Sour Gummy Worms, was the cause for her hesitation on sharing. Raven had a single vice for candy and that was Jelly Beans. It could be any type, color, flavor, and Raven would enjoy it no questions asked. It was bad enough that she had to fight over the smallest junk item.

All of them had vices that were to be enjoyed in private. Robin loved chocolate covered espresso beans, Cyborg craved Swedish Fish. They hadn't quite figured out Starfire and Beast Boy yet, since Star claimed to have a new favorite each week and Beast Boy was picky with his sugar. Raven guarded her jelly beans safely in her room; there was only a changeling who dared to enter and he didn't even like them. She wouldn't eat the whole jar in one sitting, maybe a handful when reading, or when she just needed a pick-me-up. They were good for that.

"You hoard like a squirrel," Beast Boy told her one day. Raven stared at him over her book. They were relaxing in her room, she on her bed, he on the floor spread out. She didn't often the other side of the bed; Beast Boy had manners beaten into him about those types of things.

"I what?" Raven sputtered. Beast Boy smirked at her as he put down his comic. He pointed to the top shelf where she kept her goody bag in a hollowed out book.

"You hide your treats there," Beast Boy said. "Just like a squirrel does." Raven narrowed her eyes at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Raven brushed off. She flipped another page in her book, not that she read the whole paragraph. But her boyfriend was smarter than people gave him credit for and tried again.

"Do I have to mention that your heart sped up?" He asked. Raven huffed and put her book down.

"You know that's an advantage the rest of us don't have, right?" Raven shot back. Beast Boy gave her a wicked grin.

"Ya, that's why it's an advantage," Beast Boy said. "So, am I right?" He asked. Raven casted a black band of energy to smack him upside the head. Beast Boy narrowed his eyes at her. Raven couldn't help but wonder if he did that just because he knew how…attractive…he was. She wasn't about to give him any more ideas about playing his animal nature to arouse her.

"Just cus you hit me doesn't mean I'm wrong," Beast Boy said as he went back to his comic. Raven huffed and gave up trying to read her book.

"Well, then, why don't you check if you're so insistent that you're right," Raven wondered aloud to her boyfriend. Beast Boy gave her a pointed look as he looked up from his comic.

"Um, you have seen what happens when I touch things in your room, right? I trust you, Rae, but I don't want to touch any of the books you have at your disposal for a little bit of snooping. Just telling me will be more than enough."

Raven rubbed her temples. Knowing she wouldn't get any peace from this, she walked over, pulled out the hollow book, and showed him. Satisfied that he was right, Beast Boy was content to spend the remaining hour is relative silence.

Later that night, Raven walked back to her. She stared for a few seconds before reading the card.

I would refill your book, but there isn't enough room. Guess you'll need another hiding spot. –Beast Boy.

Looking at the several new bags of jelly beans, Raven couldn't help but laugh.


	64. Number 51 Raven's Mother

Author's Note: Here's some more Raven. Also, it's hell week at school and I may or may not have call one of my professors Slade. Read and Review guys!

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Of all the memories Raven wishes she could have more of, they might have been wished on her mother. When it comes to her parents, Raven is completely in the dark. She knows enough about Trigon, knows less about Arella. She doesn't know what her voice sounds like or if she had a particular smell. Maybe she moved in a certain way, maybe had a favorite saying. All those little details forever in the dark, cut off from her since the day she was born. Even in the quietest hours, when she's musing like this, Raven knew she was doomed.

Arella would never truly want her, not even with her new life. Trigon's blood ran through her veins, and although she bested him years ago, that would forever be a brand on her, keeping her in a permanent corner from the monks and her own mother. How do you tell a mother to love a child she didn't want? How to you tell her to love that child, even knowing it will be the demise of the world you grew up in? There is no easy fix for that, no song or rhyme, no amount of time could fix it.

So, years later, Raven has only one living memory of her mother to go by. Since she was kept by herself most of the time, she didn't see many people; her mother was absent so much Raven forgot about her easily. But one day, she decided to walk around one of the gardens, and she happened to look up and see her mother. Instantly, her mind cataloged every detail. She had the same hair color, her skin was paler then hers, and she was wearing the robes that the monks wore. Her mother regarded her with eyes she couldn't understand.

She was stared at with intensity, one from a daughter too lacking in any information so she was trying to take it all in, and the other looking down on her with questions she would never get answers too. Raven was clever and she heard more than others thought she did. It was her path to go down a road of destruction and bring into the world chaos and death. Not something anyone takes well, mother or child. Not that anyone explained to Raven why she was destined for that, not for a long time to come. But it's hard.

It's hard to love someone who others say ruined your life. Perhaps even the lives of others. But Raven chose not to focus on that. She got to see a glimpse of her mother, and that image would be the only one she would get for the rest of her life. Shortly after that, Raven was ushered from one building to another, and then to Earth, and soon it was too late to go back to Azarath. Not that much of her ached for that anymore. She had a home, she had a purpose, and she had a _family,_ her!

Those people, who thought her so incapable of loving anything or anyone, probably wouldn't recognize her now. She had friends who loved her, would die for her, and would kill for her. She had a lover who cared more intensely about her than anyone she could remember. She was going out into the world, doing incredible things, proving the world time and time again that she could be more than the demon blood in her veins. There are the low moments, however. Moments where she questions what she's doing, or whether it would be better to leave now while she's ahead.

Then she thinks of how the others would react to find her gone. Thinks about how panicked they would be, and how they'd feel when they couldn't find her. Then that image of her mother pops into her head. Arella had to give up everything she cared about; Raven refused to do that. She had a home, family, and a life she had fought for. She intended to live each moment, and unlike the past where she worried every second about the future, she planned to enjoy the present.

And, someday, she might have a daughter. And she would have so many memories of her mother that she would ever have to worry.


	65. Number 65 BBxRae cuteness

Author's Note: #65 for Chapter 65. Also, this collection will probably be done by the end of this school year. Read and Review guys!

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Looking back on it, Raven thinks it's hilarious that everyone else was so nervous about the relationship then her and Beast Boy. She didn't bother to tell them that they had been dating for several months before they decided to tell their friends. They also didn't say that, yes they knew all about the bets, and yes, the two of them rigged the results by waiting. But what annoyed her was that people already said they knew how the relationship was going to be. That they knew so much more about the boy next to her, and vice versa, too.

They didn't know much, if anything, about them. Didn't know that Beast Boy had spent months mulling over the best way to ask her. Didn't know that Raven had spent weeks working on a genuine smile for him. Didn't know that the only time either of each other held each other, really head one another, was in the wake of a nightmare. There were the little things, like brushes against her tea mug, or a quick brush of lips when no one was looking. Who were others to label them when they hadn't had the chance to yet for themselves?

Tonight wasn't about that. For once, there weren't any calls, and Robin had cancelled training. They had the day to themselves and had spent it doing relaxing things. Right now, they were curled up on one of the couches on the eleventh floor. The others were in the common room, but Raven and Beast Boy wanted some time together. Beast Boy had his sketch pad out, and she was plowing through her book. Occasionally, one of them would shift closer on the couch, or offer a comment. The rain on the windows created a gentle atmosphere, and sleep called them.

"I could die right now and be pretty happy," Beast Boy said out of the blue. Raven looked sharply at him. Raven put her bookmark in and focused on the green boy next to her.

"Why would you say that?" Raven asked him. Beast Boy smiled at her.

"No calls, it's peaceful, and I get to do this without the others bugging us about it," Beast Boy told her and moved forward to press his lips against hers. Raven felt her face heat up, and she leaned in happily to his shoulder. The changeling was radiating happiness, the bliss mutual.

"I think I would be happy, too," Raven said after a bit. Beast Boy looked at her for clarification. Raven brushed her fingers against his hand. "This moment, right now. Especially since it's just us."

Beast Boy laughed and agreed. The others had been insufferable these past few weeks since they found out. Worse than when Starfire and Robin got together. Star was constantly asking her questions, and Beast Boy had fled to her room more than once to get away from the boys. But today, the others were off on their own, leaving the couple some peace and quiet.

"Rita wants to meet you," Beast Boy said after some time. Raven looked at him; his gaze was far off, but he wasn't anxious, so obviously that conversation hadn't been fueled with tension.

"Hasn't she already?" Raven asked. The Doom Patrol had meet them all, even if it was for a short while, before they took off again. Beast Boy didn't seem to mind that, probably used to it after so long apart from them. Beast Boy laughed at her.

"Yes, but she wants to meet you since," he moved his hands together, "we're a thing now." Raven smiled lightly. Pressing her fingers into the space behind his ear, Raven rubbed the skin, enjoying the sounds he made.

"If that's something you want to do I'm ok with it. But if Dome Head starts causing trouble I won't be blamed for my actions," Raven pointed out. Beast Boy chuckled and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"One of these days I'm gonna show you guys he isn't that much of an ass."

Raven smiled and went back to her book. The sounds of a pencil on paper and pages turning were the only sounds. When the others came to look for them, eventually, they found the two curled up asleep, not caring about the world around them.


	66. Number 77 The Kit Kat War

Author's Note: In Halloween fashion, enjoy some RobxCy fun times. I'm also excited since the next two uploads will feature Starfire and I haven't written anything centered on her for a while. Read and Review guys!

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Robin was trying to be stealthy as he walked back into the tower. Clutching the grocery bags closer so he could press the elevator button, he tried to relax just in case he ran into a certain teammate. Cyborg would be able to tell what he had by looks alone, and Robin had gotten eggs this time, which he didn't want to break before he even got a chance to enjoy them. The elevator finally came down, revealing Raven frowning at her communicator.

"Everything ok?" Robin asked as the doors shut. The tower was still standing so that was reassuring. Raven shrugged.

"It's still before ten, so nothing's happened yet," Raven said. Robin shook his head; typically nothing happened before ten since Cyborg holed up in the garage until lunch and Beast Boy wasn't a morning person by anyone's standards.

"Have you seen Star?" Robin asked his teammate as he shifted the bags in his arms. Raven pressed the button for the common room floor.

"She was doing something in her room earlier. I'm not sure what's she's doing now," Raven told him. The doors opened and Robin stepped out. Raven waved him goodbye as she went to her room.

The kitchen was empty. Robin whistled lightly as he unpacked the groceries, using post-its to direct the others to their preferred food choices. Just as he was restocking to coffee and tea stash, yes he and Raven had a stash, Cyborg walked in.

"Hey," He greeted as he pulled a water out of the fridge. Robin nodded in return and closed the cupboard.

"Hey," Robin said. Cyborg leaned against the counter.

"So, I think we should invest in some new machinery," Cyborg started and Robin held up his hand.

"Nope, you already had your allowance for this month," Robin reminded. Cyborg huffed and rummaged around the last bag on the table. Robin froze as he held up the 'contraband'. The red bag of Kit Kats sat innocently in his friend's hand, no clue about what was soon about to happen to it. The two boys made eye contact, then the battle for the sweet began.

Cyborg lunged around the table, hoping to get around Robin, but the boy wonder had decided to go directly over the table, cutting him off. He attempted to grab the bag, but Cyborg held it up over his head, and spun, trying to discourage Robin.

Knowing that Cyborg was gonna be playing dirty, Robin cut the androids legs out from under him, allowing him to get the candy. Sprinting for the door, Robin knew the one place Cyborg wouldn't be able to get to would be somewhere high up. The best place for that would be the garage, with the tall rafter beams. Robin cursed when he realized that he left his grappling hook in his room while he fixed a mechanical problem. That was fine, he knew how to climb, and he just had to be quick. He flew down the hall, barely noticing Starfire.

"Robin! Is there trouble?" Starfire exclaimed. Robin barely spared her a glance.

"Not right now, Star!" Robin blurted out sprinting down the hall to the stairwell door. He took the steps two at time, clearing one floor, then two, then three. Finally he was at the garage level. As he burst through the door, Cyborg was sitting on the desk on the back wall, smirking.

"Did you really think I would let you get away that easily?" Cyborg asked. Robin frowned and clutched his treat closer.

"You know, you can get your own, at stores. They exist for that." Robin pointed out. The way to the rafters was just a few inches away from him. Slowly moving toward it, Robin kept his focus on Cyborg who had yet to move.

"I know, but this is way more fun," Cyborg said and lunged. Sprinting the last way, Robin propelled himself up the metal, fingers and feet finding purchase and allowing him to gain seconds away from the candy thief. On the ground, Cyborg was cursing. Robin leaned against one of the supporting beam, smiling widely, holding his prize up for his teammate to see.

"You're right Cyborg," Robin said as he opened the first Kit Kat, "This is way more fun than going to the store."


	67. Starfire loves decorations

Author's Note: Have some Starfire goodness :) Also, Halloween is this week and I'm going as Robin. Read and Review guys!

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Like most things on Earth, the first time she encountered them Starfire was confused and had asked for explanations many times. Thankfully, her friends were patient and answered all of her questions. When New Year's Eve rolled around she finally got to experience it for real. She and Cyborg were in charge of getting some decorations. The rows showed all sorts of things; glasses cut into the numbers of the New Year, party hats, fancy, cheap drinking glasses, even confetti. But her favorite had to be the noise poppers. They came in multiple colors, and when popped let out streamers.

"We can get some if you want, Star," Cyborg said. Starfire jumped and smiled at her teammate. She had been looking at the confetti stars, amazed by their colors and shapes.

"May we purchase some of these?" She asked, holding up a bag for inspection. Cyborg double checked the price and put it in the small basket he was holding.

"Come on, we promised the others a short trip before the movie marathon," Cyborg reminded her. Starfire grinned; the movie marathon had been in planning for weeks. They had twelve movies lined up, each a beloved favorite at one point.

Now the search for decorations were easy enough that she could handle it on her own. Usually, she could persuade a friend to come along, typically Robin or Beast Boy, but this year two of her boys had been called away to some meeting thing and wouldn't be back until the day their celebrations began. That was fine with her; that meant more glitter, the fine kind that wouldn't wash out, and as many streamers as she wanted.

She had several bags, each filled to the brim, with supplies when she returned home. Raven took a look, then walked away.

"I don't care what you do with that glitter, Starfire, but I don't want any of it near my room," Raven said as she poured herself a new cup of tea. Starfire laughed as she put all the bags down on the couch.

"Of course, friend Raven," Starfire agreed. After that, it was just her in the common room, playing one of Cyborg's CD's on the stereo as she set up. She was so involved in her work that she didn't hear the doors swish open.

"This looks amazing," Robin whispered as he put his arms around her waist tightly. Starfire squealed and turned around so that she could fully kiss the boy wonder. Robin chuckled against her lips and rested his forehead against hers.

"I missed you," Starfire said. Robin pecked her nose.

"I missed you, too," Robin replied. Robin picked up a strand of colorful streamers and ripped off a long strand; he tied it into her hair as a bow.

"There, now you look the part of the holiday decorator."

Starfire laughed and reached for her eggnog; they still had three cartons to get through before the week was over. She finished her drink and Robin leaned in to kiss her again.

"Do not tell Cyborg about the glitter," Starfire teased. Robin placed his hand on his chest and feigned shock.

"Me? Why on earth would I do that?" Robin acted. Starfire laughed and reached for the rest of the streamers. The two of them worked in tandem for a while, until they were joined by the other three.

"How did you fit that many streamers in one bag?" Raven asked, bemused and impressed. Starfire grinned at the other girl before finishing off the roll. The room was covered in blue, gold, and silver on every surface.

"It's bigger on the inside," Starfire said making Beast Boy laughed. The others rolled their eyes at the joke.

"Alright, time for some movies," Cyborg announced as he clapped his hands together. As the screen began to announce the upcoming movies, Starfire curled up closer to her friends. Outside, the sun was just about the set, painting the sky a rich mix of pinks and purples. The dark lights inside the tower made the glitter shimmer and the streamers would occasionally sway when someone passed them.

By the time the New Year rolled around, their fourth movie was playing, and all of them were sound asleep, all curled up together.

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Next Chapter Preview: Starfire and tamagotchi


	68. Tamagotchi namesakes

Author's Note: Yes, I actually did look up the types of tamagotchi for this. Also, part 2 of flu bugs is in the works! Read and Review guys!

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Starfire had always wanted a large group of pets. Silkie was great, but sometimes she wanted to add more to her family in the tower. Raven mentioned getting a cat once, and Beast Boy wouldn't consider getting a pet, Cyborg and Robin had conflicting views on the subject. But then she discovered a clever little device that would help her achieve her goal of an army of pets. She found it when they were wondering through the store one day.

"Friend, what is this?" Starfire asked to her green skinned friend. Beast Boy picked the package up to see it. He laughed before handing it over to her.

"It's a tamagotchi, Star," Beast Boy explained. "It's like an online pet that you take care of."

Starfire smiled and scanned the options. She selected one in orange and yellow and walked over to the cash register to purchase it. When they got back to the tower, she spent a few good hours learning how to care for her little creature, which looked similar to a life form on her home planet. She cared for it as she would Silkie; the others didn't interfere unless it got in the way of work.

As time went on, Starfire began to collect more of these pixelated creatures. On her bedside table they sat lined up, ready to amuse her for hours on end. There was the issue of names. In the privacy of her room, she gave them the names of her friends, but not the ones they used on the street. She matched them up based on personality, and went from there. Her friends didn't know about this for a while. They simply assumed that when she said she was going to see Victor, she meant Cyborg, and so forth.

Today that changed.

"Oh no," Starfire said at lunch as she bolted from the table, "I forgot to feed Richard!" With that the girl sped from the room, nearly toppling Raven over. Robin looked up from his coffee with a confused expression.

"Um, why does she need to feed me?" Robin asked. Beast Boy shrugged.

"Maybe one of her traditions?" He offered. Robin shuddered; some Tameranian traditions could be pretty interesting, and not in the fun way.

The girl returned clutching her handheld electronic pet in her hands. With a smile she sat down again, taking a piece of fruit off of Cyborg's plate. Robin waved his hand in front of their red haired teammate.

"So, wanna explain why we need to feed me, Star?" Robin asked as he took another sip of his coffee. Starfire smiled as she finished chewing.

"Well, I forgot to feed Richard today," Starfire said as she placed the red tamagotchi on the table. Beast Boy started to laugh as Cyborg joined in. Raven shook her head as she got up to get some more tea.

"Wait, you named him after me?" Robin asked. Starfire nodded.

"Of course, I named one after all of you," Starfire replied eagerly. All of them stopped what they were doing at stare at her. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all," Raven reassured her after recovering. "Just, how long have you had one named after us?" Starfire smiled and got up.

"I shall return with your namesakes!" And she flew off to get them. Cyborg looked at Beast Boy.

"Are you nervous, Garfield?" He teased. Beast Boy rolled his eyes.

"Oh, yes, very funny," He said sarcastically. Raven slapped both of them with her magic. Before Cyborg could start cursing, Robin kicked his shin.

"Nope, you know the rules, you say it, you pay for it," Robin reminded him. The dreaded swear jar sat on the counter innocently. Cyborg rolled his eyes.

"I have brought them!" Starfire announced. She led them through. They were colored coded. The characters even seemed to fit their personalities. Robin's was serious and took a lot to make him laugh, whereas Beast Boy's was constantly giggling. Raven's was the smartest, and Cyborg's liked to collect things.

"Wait, you don't have one for yourself," Cyborg pointed out. Starfire didn't think anything of it. Later that night, she got a picture on her communicator. Her friends were holding a pink colored tamagotchi and smiling. The caption?

_Don't worry, we'll take care of your namesake, too. _


	69. Number 6 Rules of Caffeine

Author's Note: Have some team moments for your day :) Read and review guys!

Next chapter - Number 23

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It was decided very early on that there had to be rules made in the tower. Of course, there were the simply ones: don't bother Raven if she's mediating, if the door to the file room is closed it means keep out, and don't try to wake anyone who just had night patrol up before nine that morning. Others rules weren't spelled out that clearly. The subject of caffeine was clearly specified, however, so much so that Robin had a printed sheet out and laminated on the fridge door. The instructions were to be followed or suffer the dreaded consequences.

Such consequence were, in no particular order: Robin becoming an under-caffeinated mess that yelled profanities until he was properly dosed up, Cyborg drinking too many energy drinks that led to several duplicates being made in the tower (no one needs twelve toasters), and any caffeine given to Starfire or Beast boy being overly hyper for several hours.

Raven was probably the only one who could drink caffeine and only suffer getting headaches. That made her, by default, the one who kept an eye on the intake for everyone. Mostly for everyone minus Robin; when hyper he only tried to redecorate.

Starfire and Beast Boy were terrifying when hyper. So much so that the threat of being locked in a room with one of them after being given a caffeinated beverage was enough to control the most rowdy teammate. To date, Starfire did the most damage when hyper. The curtains got the brunt of the damage; at least with Beast Boy nothing had to be replaced or repaired.

The only reason they had the rules was because of one incident about a year after the teams forming…

"I wanna test something," Cyborg mused one day. Raven peeked over her book, not liking those words at all. Large messes tended to happen when that statement came out. Cyborg smirked at her. "Wanna take a bet?"

Raven closed her book with a sigh. "What bet?"

"Who would crash first from a caffeine high?" Cyborg explained. Raven froze; she knew exactly who he was referring too, and she knew nothing good could come from this.

"Cyborg," Raven said slowly, "if you even think of giving them caffeine, don't. Robin will go ballistic on you when he finds out."

Cyborg's grin was absolutely wicked. "That's the best part, Raven. Robin wants to know as well."

Raven blinked once then got up. Cyborg frowned as she walked away.

"Where are you going?" He called out. Raven didn't even stop to look back.

"To find a safe spot. Lord knows what kind of damage you're going to inflict upon us all."

She tucked herself away in one of the unused rooms on the upper floors, locking the door in the hopes of keeping the rest of the team out. There hadn't been any loud noises yet, so Raven was optimistic that the boys had given up this foolish idea.

It didn't look like she would escape it.

A knock on her door sent her cautiously opening the gliding panel, revealing Beast Boy bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Knock me out," Beast Boy said. Raven ran that sentence through her head before answering.

"What?" Raven decided. Ya, smart choice of words.

"Please knock me out. I can't stop moving, I wanna shift into, like, five different things right now, and my eye hasn't stopped twitching in the past fifteen minutes. So, please, for once, just knock me out because I'm asking for it." Beast Boy finished in a pant.

Raven felt slightly worried for his sake. Instead of acknowledging his request, Raven grabbed him by the hand and pulled him down the hall. Once they reached the roof, Raven punched out a message on her communicator before turning to the partially vibrating boy next to her.

"We're gonna go flying until you crash. Then, I'm personally gonna go yell at the two idiots who thought this was a good idea," Raven told him. Beast Boy nodded.

By the time they got back, Beast Boy was fighting a losing battle with sleep, Starfire had managed to destroy half the curtains in the tower, the kitchen was half scorched, and Robin and Cyborg looked deeply sorry.

After the tongue lashing they got, Raven was in charge of the caffeine intake, and no one ever tried to experiment the effects of it on anyone else on the team again.


	70. Number 23 It starts with the circus

Author's Note: Break is coming closer! Read and Review guys!

Next chapter: #38

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Robin hated the circus. It wasn't in his file, wasn't public knowledge, he didn't talk about it every day. The feelings he had associated that place with had been buried for a while now, getting pushed down by other things; anxiety, anger, frustration. Being a hero, and a team leader, tended to get in the way of sitting down and having a good old fashioned breakdown about things. After all, superheroes were tough, and if you couldn't maintain composure then it was all downhill from there. Robin could maintain his composure, most of the time, without a slipup, but it sucked.

It sucked that he couldn't look at pictures of a circus before flinching. He couldn't handle the presence of a clown, didn't want to have anything to do with the high wire, and somedays the poster in his closet became too much. The others noticed; you didn't live together for almost five years without picking up on things. But he was Robin, and Robin didn't share, particularly not in the "Hey, my past is screwed up, wanna discuss it?" part. He had pushed those feelings down enough so he could do his job. It didn't mean he liked it.

All of them had issues. It would probably be helpful to have them all in some sort of therapy, but each of them had separate issues about that. Raven and he had too many issues with control and trust, Beast Boy didn't trust any doctor as far as he could throw him, Cyborg didn't express his internal emotions to strangers, and Starfire choose people she knew and cared for above an outsider. Beyond the shrink issue, there were the issues themselves.

Robin still wasn't sure about his teammates. Sure, you pick up things, but they were all still pretty private. Like the reason that Raven didn't trust the touch of anyone but the team. Or how, whatever reason, Cyborg didn't allow Beast Boy near boats. Starfire hadn't the feeling of any thick bracelets on her wrists. Cyborg made sure to service the T-Car every day, checking and double checking each part of the vehicle.

Robin found himself learning more as each year past, but he still give back as much as his teammates shared. He didn't have heart to hearts with Cyborg; far less with Beast Boy. Raven was more private then he. Starfire was the closest one to him.

Opening up to his friends was a work in progress as well. He could run circles around any reporter, but if he tried to bond with his friends, family really, he couldn't do it. It felt awful. But he kept trying. Dinner was typically when he tried to close that gap.

"So, we should share a fact," Robin announced one night. Raven looked up from her meal; Starfire and Beast Boy stopped their conversation.

"Why a fact?" Beast Boy asked. Robin tried to figure out a reason that wasn't so obvious.

"Um," Robin struggled, "We haven't done one in forever." The resulting looks he got didn't give him much confidence.

"Is this another bonding phase?" Cyborg asked. Robin felt his face going red. He got into a bonding funk a few months ago, trying to merge his team closer, which only resulted in some explosive blowouts, cus they all had personal limits, and hadn't tried since then. The recent urge to open up more to his teammates was refusing to go away, so Robin shoved away that discomfort and answered.

"Not exactly. But it might be nice to try again, just a more controlled and easy pace," Robin told them. The silence that followed almost made him reconsidered, but soon they started to talk.

It wasn't an overnight fix. He still couldn't tell his friends half the things he wanted to. Sometimes he would lay awake in his room, staring at the ceiling, wondering if he was ever going to get it right. Other days were better. He could talk about a time before he was Batman's sidekick, and when he got to the point where he didn't flinch it was a personal victory. But he still got held up on other parts of his life.

He wasn't there yet, but he knew that if he kept working towards it, the others would be waiting for him.


	71. Number 38 The word Mutt

Author's Note: Slowly getting to the end of this series. Also, AOGG is being updated, and there are three oneshots I'm working on that will be released by the years end I think. So, read and review guys!

Next Chapter: #49

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Gar knew that there were certain things that you couldn't do with the Doom Patrol. You couldn't be late to meetings, you couldn't argue the orders for a mission, and you especially didn't bring up things that didn't have a purpose to the mission. Even after being with them all for over a year, Gar still forgot these rules and had to be reminded. Which was why he was reminding himself what they were so he didn't mess it up. Currently, they were at some sort of conference with other superheroes, none of which he had ever met or seen.

So, when one of them, a guy way older then him that had an obsession with knives, made a snide comment, Beast Boy didn't bother to say anything. In fact, it was a passing comment, but he knew the way the Doom Patrol worked: you solve things by yourself. That included a man of over thirty years calling a ten year old a mutt. Gar knew he was strange, had known he was strange, but still having someone say the insults out loud made him cringe internally. By this point he had practically mastered concealing his emotions from everyone else.

It wasn't the first, or last time, he would be called that insult. On the rare occasions that the fights with Mento took a bad turn, that word would insert itself into the argument. Another year passed and he soon had armor thick enough where that word wouldn't hurt as much. When he finally left, he didn't even think to tell his friends about it.

After all, he'd been trained to handle those sorts of things on his own. Why would he stop now?

X

The pier was awash in lights. They had finished with the games and were in the process of walking down to the water; Starfire had wanted to find any nighttime sea creatures. Beast Boy had been talking to Cyborg, and misjudged the distance between him and a stranger walking the opposite way. He bumped into the man's shoulder on accident. Beast Boy turned to apologize, but the man began talking before he could.

"What, just cus you save people, you think you can just walk like you own the place?" The guy hissed. Beast Boy rushed to explain.

"No, I just wanted to say sorry for running into you-," Beast Boy started to say quickly. Cyborg had moved to flank him, always being the defender for the rest of them.

"Sorry, right. As if a mutt like you would care about things like that." He could hear the others stop moving. Cyborg nudged him to the side. Thankfully, after a quick glance around, there was hardly anyone on this area of the pier.

"Look, man, I don't know who you think you are," Cyborg started. At this point Robin and Raven were eyeing the guy up and down, and Starfire had moved to his free side.

"Guys, he isn't worth it, just let it go." Beast Boy tried. Robin turned his head enough to see that the glare wasn't going away. It also wasn't being leveled at him.

"It is important. And after this is over," and the stranger made a little whimper at that, "we're gonna go back to enjoying our night." Robin had fully slipped into his leader tone of voice.

Starfire grabbed his hand and tugged him away. "We shall meet you down by the water." The red head gave Beast Boy a look, like she was going to see if he would try to challenger her about this. He didn't try.

They got to the water's edge and tried to make it seem like there wasn't a fight going on, but Starfire, for all her happy nature, couldn't pull the frown off his face.

"Why would you let someone get away with this," Starfire asked him suddenly. Beast Boy spun to face her.

"It isn't anything I haven't heard before, Star," He told her honestly. "You get used to it after a while."

Starfire lunged at him and pulled him into a gripping hug.

"That is a serious wrong. But know this. We are not used to it so it will be addressed if it occurs again."

When the others came back down, with a set look on their faces, Beast Boy didn't think to ask what they had done. And if they passed a guy who looked familiar on the pier later, a guy with a black eye and a ruined shirt, then Beast Boy definitely didn't ask.

For once, maybe jut this once, he would let them fight this battle for him.


	72. Number 49 Drawing lessons

Author's Note: Well, here's the weekly update. Hope you little elves (yes, I can start with the Christmas puns) enjoy. Also, AOG will be updated this weekend, and I've got two new one-shots in the works. We've got **24** days till Christmas! So, read and review my little elves!

Next chapter: #61

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Beast Boy liked to think he had a lot of patience. He had waited patiently for nearly five years for Raven to catch up, nothing could be longer than that. But this wasn't a situation where he could apply him and his girlfriend. He still wasn't quite sure how he agreed to this. He suspected that Robin had sprung this on him in the morning; he wasn't awake enough to make sense of anything he was being asked. That being said, this still didn't rank in the strangest things he had done, and that was saying something for his life.

This was how he found himself one Thursday morning. Robin had basically dragged him from the roof, at the time he had been practicing his air diving skills, before plopping him down at the kitchen table. Warily, Beast Boy eyed his leader.

"Did I do something?" Beast Boy hedged. He couldn't remember messing up lately, but Robin was prone to getting temperamental with little details when the crime rate slowed down. The changeling wasn't about to walk into a lecture talk without some warning ahead of time.

Robin must have sensed that he was broadcasting his "in charge" status strongly. The boy wonder rubbed the back of his neck. Then came the thinnest hint of a blush on his friend's face. Now any calmness Beast Boy had in this situation was gone. If Robin was blushing it had to be bad.

"I want to impress Starfire," Robin said. Beast Boy blinked.

"Ok, so why am I here?" Beast Boy asked. Robin sat down across from him.

"I was hoping to be romantic and draw her something special," Robin explained. Beast Boy fiddled with the cuff of his glove.

"Sounds nice," Beast Boy replied. "But I sense a catch coming soon." Robin game him a sheepish grin.

"I was hoping you could help, with the drawing part?" Robin asked. If Robin wasn't trying so hard to ask for help Beast Boy would have laughed.

"I guess I could teach you a few things," Beast Boy said. Robin nodded quickly.

"Sure, when can we start? How about today? This afternoon?" Robin fired out quickly. This time Beast Boy did laugh.

"Sure, we can start later today. I'm guessing this is gonna be a surprise?" Beast Boy guessed. Robin shrugged.

"Ya. I just want her to feel special," Robin admitted to Beast Boy.

They stopped talking about it after that; Cyborg walked in for breakfast, and soon the girls came in too. The morning played out calmly. Robin went off to do a few training simulations, and Cyborg dragged him off to the garage to help keep him company as he tuned up the car. It was past three when Robin paged him.

"Is the overlord calling you?" Cyborg chuckled as Beast Boy headed towards the elevator. If only Robin knew the types of things Cyborg teased him with. He found the boy wonder in the file room, glaring at a police file.

"Trouble with the law?" Beast Boy teased. Robin smiled lightly.

"Ready to start?" Robin asked. A quick glance over the older boys shoulder show that some of his stuff was already here.

"I was excited," Robin said sheepishly. Beast Boy laughed and got them both a pad of paper and a pencil. The next hour was spent trying to show Robin the simplest designs, from fancy block letters to the smaller detailed animals that he wanted to add. Robin got the letters down; they hit a snag when it came to the animals.

Robin couldn't draw a circle for crap. It got to the point where Robin was yelling and he was yelling, and all they had to show for it was a really badly drawn bunny rabbit.

"Ok, that's it, I quiet," Robin said as he tossed the pencil back on the desk. Beast Boy nearly laughed at the defeated expression on his face. Then he got an idea.

"Alright, come on," Beast Boy nudged. Robin looked up but went with him.

"Where are we going?" Robin asked.

"Well, since you can't draw anything, which is fine, we're going for the next thing," Beast Boy told him. "So, what types of coloring books do you think Starfire would like? Cus at least you can color within some lines."

By the time they got to the garage, Robin was still laughing.


	73. Number 61 Separation Anxiety

Author's Note: The semester is winding down finally! The next chapter of TLT is in the works. Read and Review little elves there's 17 days till xmas!

Next chapter: #74

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Starfire stared longingly at the calendar. Recently they were looking at going on separate missions lasting over two weeks. The benefit was that they would at least still be in the country, so getting in touch wouldn't be a struggle. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and Starfire smiled. Robin rested his head on her shoulder, a feat since she was a few inches taller than him, and pressed a kiss to her neck.

"Are you worrying again?" Robin asked. Starfire looked back at the calendar. Raven and Beast Boy would be leaving first tomorrow afternoon. Starfire didn't answer him for a moment.

"Did they get their communicators checked?" Starfire asked. Robin gave her a squeeze. The thought of her friends not being able to reach anyone if trouble should happen gave her stomach a little lurch. She still wasn't comfortable with them be apart for long distances after the year long war with the Brotherhood. After they were reunited, Starfire hadn't slept; instead she had kept herself up past dawn keeping an eye on her family. They were together again, and for the first time in months Starfire could breathe, knowing they were all safe.

"Double checked. Raven will call up when they land. Most likely after that point we'll hear from them separately until they're coming back home." Robin reassured. Starfire leaned into her boyfriend.

If didn't look like this mission was even that dangerous. A simple scout and arrest situation; the group they were helping really only asked for Beast Boy, but Raven was going anyway. They always went in pairs now on overseas missions. If everything went well there was the chance of the two coming back early.

She couldn't say the same for herself and the other two boys with her. It had been many months since they finally came home. Those first few weeks back none of them seemed to sleep well alone, so it stopped being weird when someone would crawl into another person's bed at night. Now, it wasn't odd to walk into the common room and see two people, or more, curled up on the couch. It made it easier to sleep knowing someone was right there, that they were solid, and they were stuck back in some horrible, horrible mission gone wrong.

Once was enough for Starfire, she didn't want it to happen a second time.

"They'll stay together, right?" Starfire asked. She knew she was being silly; all of them knew that Beast Boy and Raven could take care of themselves. However, the feelings of unease didn't go away. Robin could probably sense her worry a mile away.

"Star, where's all this coming from?" Robin asked in return. He'd never seen his girl so worked up about something.

"I just want them to be safe. I- just," Starfire felt a sob come up her throat. All too soon she was crying, and Robin had wrapped his arms around her. She sagged against him almost immediately. Robin didn't try to get her to explain; in all honesty, it had been about time this whole situation came to a head. Robin didn't know about the rest of his team, but he knew for a fact a good breakdown after the year abroad was to be expected.

Starfire finally started to calm down and Robin peppered her face with kisses. Starfire nuzzled into his neck.

"Wanna talk about it?" Robin finally asked. Starfire sniffled.

"I just want them to come back safe. But all I can think about is…being separated again. And not know when they'll come home." Starfire said. Robin grasped both of her hands.

"You know that whatever happens, they'll come home. It might take a while, but they'll come back to us." Robin said. The two didn't say much, but soon the world outside started to dark. Robin pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Maybe you should go talk to them. They might be able to help ease some of your worries." Robin suggested. Starfire nodded and slowly got off the couch.

Robin watched as his girlfriend walked out of the room. The overwhelming feeling in his gut had him waiting for a few moments before following Starfire.

He had a feeling that these next few weeks were gonna suck.


	74. Number 74 Tree Shopping

Author's Note: Here's a snippet that actually fits the season. It's also finals week :( But I've got a lot of one-shots coming in the new year. So, read and review guys!

Next Chapter: #83

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The tree farm was filled with small crowd of people, all wrapped in hats and scarves, looking for the best Christmas tree. Raven was waiting with Robin while Cyborg parked; Starfire and Beast Boy were too excited to wait and had disappeared into the rows. Robin cupped his hands and tried to warm them with his breath.

"How much you want to bet that this tree isn't gonna fit on the roof?" Robin asked. Raven could only imagine; last year it had taken three hours and over a dozen bungee cords to attach the tree. Cyborg walked over to them.

"Hope you guys don't mind lugging this tree around. The only open spot I could find was way in the back," Cyborg said. The three headed out to find the other two members of their family. It didn't take them long.

Starfire and Beast Boy were inspecting a tree towards the middle of the row, completely oblivious to the elderly couple who was amused by their ramblings.

"Do you think its leaning?" Beast Boy called to Starfire. Starfire came to stand next to him and the two turned their heads at the same time. Robin chuckled at the teens antics. The two didn't hear them. Starfire said something to Beast Boy and the two were off again. Cyborg walked up to the tree.

"It does kinda look like it's leaning," Cyborg said. Raven wacked him on the arm.

"Don't enable them. Those two were up at six this morning waiting to get the tree. We aren't going to be leaving for a while," Robin mentioned. Raven smiled lightly; Starfire and Beast Boy had been excited this whole week. If it wasn't a tradition to wait until the second weekend in December, they would have gotten a tree immediately December 1st.

"I'll go make sure they don't try to get a nine footer," Cyborg said as he jogged to catch up. Robin and Raven followed at a slower pace.

"We could cave in this year," Robin mused. Raven raised an eyebrow.

"If you cave this year, it's gonna happen every year. Plus, I don't think we could fit the tree on the car if it gets that big." Raven pointed out.

"I just want them to have a good Christmas, that's all," Robin said. Raven frowned; Robin only tried to make sure everything was perfect if something bad was gonna happen. Grabbing his wrist and pulling them aside into a row of wide Christmas trees, Raven stared him down.

"What's going on?" Raven demanded. Robin looked away.

"I might have been offered an assignment," Robin muttered.

"Ok, so why is that a bad thing?" Raven wondered. Robin looked straight at her.

"Maybe when it's for half a year in Gotham," Robin concluded. Raven's mouth dropped. Robin didn't think about taking missions in Gotham unless it was serious.

"Please tell me you haven't been keeping this to yourself," Raven asked. Robin scuffed his boot on a pile of snow.

"Past two weeks." Robin said softly. Raven stared at him.

"Ok, here's how this is going to go down. We are going to go catch up with the others and pick out a tree. Then we are going to have a good time decorating this tree and enjoying Christmas. And after all of this is over, we are going to sit down, as a team, and talk about this." Raven said. Robin nodded after a minute.

"I'm going to get the whole 'we don't keep secretes talk' again, aren't I?" Robin asked. Raven gave him a small smile.

"Yes, you are, let's go." Raven replied. They found the other three at the end of the tree farm. Starfire seemed upset about something, but Beast Boy was clearly handling it. Cyborg waved to them when he saw them come over.

"She can't find one she likes," Cyborg said. Raven moved to the side quickly as Starfire marched through pulling Beast Boy by the wrist. Finding an employee, she began to ask questions. Of course, the three of them started to laugh uncontrollably when the red head asked if there were any tree in the shade of Beast Boy's skin, which made him blush, but in the end they got it figured out.

By the next hour, they had gotten a tree picked out, and were, badly, singing along to the Christmas songs on the radio.


	75. Number 83 New Years

Raven rolled over on the couch just in time to see the sun peeking up over the ridge. The bay windows captured the common room in a soft light. Tucked under a blanket, Gar asleep at her back, and her family surrounding her, Raven didn't feel like moving for a long time. She rubbed her thumb over Beast Boy's knuckles. Well, soon to be Changeling. The official change would take place in a few weeks. Robin had switched over to Nightwing just a couple months before and seemed to like it. She wondered what would change about this New Year.

At lot of things had changed this past year. The new wave of recruits had arrived and all of them had their hands full training them. The training also had all over being pulled around the country. Robin had gone to Gotham several times for meetings; Gar had been tasked with trying to get connections with past Doom Patrol counterparts. The work was exhausting, but it was only for a little longer. Soon all of them would be letting the new heroes take on bigger missions. For now they were still in charge of the majority of the incoming calls.

Plus, there was a wedding in the future. Well, in the future where Robin gathered the courage to take the ring hidden in his sock drawer and ask Starfire. In her own relationship, she was content. Gar never pushed her for anything more than she could give; in return, she tried to be more open to him. The past four year, (god, they had been dating for four years and no one was dead yet), had been the best. Sure, they weren't the cute couple or anything like that, but she was happy.

So freaking, ridiculously happy. She cuddled closer. Last night had been fun. They had spent the evening making dinner together, which didn't end up destroying the kitchen, and then watched movie after movie before watching the ball drop. After that they had spent the new few hours talking about everything and nothing, before cuddling up on the couch and falling asleep. There was another argument over blankets, but that ended pretty quickly.

"Someone's been thinking a lot this morning," Gar whispered into her neck. Raven smirked. She looked over her shoulder; her boyfriend was still half-asleep, but gave her a lazy smile. Raven rolled over to face him.

"Just musing, that's all," She whispered back. The others showed no sign of waking up just yet, and Raven didn't want to break the quiet until she had to. Gar brought their joined hands together and kissed the back of her hand. Raven smiled softly. It was still hard to believe she had gotten something like this in her life.

"Care to share?" Gar asked. Raven snuggled in closer. In years past she would have balked at having someone asking her to share her thoughts. Now, she didn't shy away. She didn't feel the need to keep any secrets.

"I'm just really happy," She said. Her powers weren't out of whack. She could feel more then what she could previously. She'd even cracked a few smiles in public. The girl from the past few years was like a distant memory some days. Even on her bad days, she still felt better than she had in years.

"Well, I'm glad you're happy, Rae," Gar replied as he kissed her cheek. Raven raised her free hand to play with the hair on his forehead. Both of them looked over when a giant snore ripped through the room. Cyborg rolled over on the other couch. Raven and Gar burst into quiet giggles.

"Come on, why don't we start on making some food?" Raven suggested. Gar kissed her nose and let her get up. The two walked into the kitchen quietly. They didn't talk much, only in whispers, as they handed each other bowls or spoons. As they waited for the food to cook, they watched the sun come up from the window. Gar wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I want it to stay like this forever," Raven said. Gar hugged her tighter.

"We could have this part forever," Gar replied. Raven turned around.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Gar smiled.

"Marry me. Not today, but someday. Whenever you're ready," He said. Raven laughed and kissed him.

"Yes, but we better not tell the others yet. If Robin finds out about us before he asked Starfire, he'd never live it down."


	76. Number 90 New Year's fun

Author's note: It's weird to think that this collection is going to be finished in the new year. But, read and review you guys! I hope you all had a good Christmas!

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Raven leaned back in her position on the couch as she watched her family enjoy themselves. New Year's Eve was always an event to look forward too. The boys were arguing over who should play first on the mini air hockey table. In the end, Robin and Cyborg decided to play first, since their egos wouldn't be satisfied until they had beaten the one another. Beast Boy walked over to her and sat down on the arm of the couch. Raven took a big sip of her hot chocolate; a nice change in time for the holidays. Raven moved over.

"Come on, why don't you actually sit on the couch?" Raven suggested. Beast Boy slid off of the arm and sat next to her. They both settled in to watch Cyborg and Robin play. Starfire watched them from the other couch, ready to act if any fights broke out.

"I bet you five dollars I win," Cyborg wagered. Robin smirked; the boy wonder could never resist a bet.

"I'll take that," Robin agreed. Raven rolled her eyes.

"I bet you that neither of them win and the game gets broken tonight," Raven whispered to Beast Boy. He laughed at the comment. Cyborg and Robin had big competitive streaks and neither would be satisfied until one had beaten the other. This usually resulted in some broken piece of furniture and a fist fight. Raven hoped it was only the first part this time; a broken piece of the living room was easy to fix but she didn't want to head any injures tonight.

"I hope not," Beast Boy said. "I had to go halfway across the city to buy that game for them." Raven rolled her eyes. She knew Beast Boy wasn't really annoyed, but he did like to tease the older boys. Old habits seemed to stick even after all these years.

Cyborg and Robin were really getting into the game by the time Starfire had wandered over. She had one of the noise poppers in her hands and seemed to be having trouble with it.

"It might be jammed," Beast Boy suggested. Starfire handed him the toy and her boyfriend started to fiddle with it.

Starfire, deciding not to bother with the couch, leaned against Beast Boy and put her head on the top of his. He stopped and looked up.

"Comfy up there?" Beast Boy asked the girl. Starfire hummed her answer. Beast Boy laughed and continued to fix the noise popper. Robin and Cyborg were really getting into the game; the boy wonder had his face fixed into his game face, and Cyborg was biting his lower lip in concentration. The mini hockey puck was flying back and forth between them. Raven figured it wouldn't be long before it went flying off the table.

"Hey, Raven," Robin said, "Wanna bet that I can beat Cyborg more than once?" Cyborg glared at him.

"Hey, Raven," Cyborg hissed. "I bet I'll be Robin at every game we play tonight." Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy all looked at one another. With a deciding nod, Raven stood up and walked into the kitchen. Her two friends followed her. Raven opened one up one of the closets and pulled out a tub of leftover glitter. She walked back to the two boys, who hadn't stopped playing, and set the tub down in the middle of the air hockey table.

"Whoever loses the most out of five rounds gets covered in the entire thing," Raven said. "Sound like a good deal?"

Starfire and Beast Boy were laughing behind her. Raven allowed a smirk. Both boys were staring at the glitter with trepidation, but she knew them enough to know they wouldn't back down. She was right; within seconds Robin agreed and Cyborg followed. The next hour was filled with yelling, some interesting insults, and eventually it ended.

Cyborg had barely won. The older teen was standing there, holding the tub of glitter, a twinkle in his eye. The boy wonder was fuming, but a bet was a bet, and Robin didn't go back on his word. It happened quit. With a quick move, the can was open, and all of it was on Robin, making him a sparkling mess.

It was the best New Year's yet.


	77. Number 2 Raven and her books

Author's Note: I got my list set for this collection. If everything goes right it'll be finished around May. Read and Review guys!

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Raven considered herself a book addict. She could easily go to any bookstore and spend over a hundred dollars buying books, but she always restrained herself from doing so. She only had so much room for bookshelves in her bedroom, and she knew that Robin wouldn't be pleased to find towers of the printed pages in other rooms. Nothing was better than curling up with a book of her choosing and loosing herself in the print. Of course, she was used to stopping for a call, but it was nice to be able to buy a book for herself sometimes.

The monks had never let her keep any of the books she read while on Azarath. She would be watched as she flipped through the pages, and after finishing them, they would be inspected to ensure no damage had come to them. One of the monks had even commented saying that these books were more valuable than her own worth. At that point, her self-esteem was nonexistent, so it wasn't hard to believe the statement. But now she didn't have to live like that. Each book was treated with respect, and her friends never judged her for her book keeping.

If anything, they enabled her. Raven couldn't count the times that she had woken up to a new book on the kitchen table for her, or when someone went out to the shops and came back with a new one to give to her. She had to build a few more shelves for herself, but that was no big deal. Her room was huge, and having the walls filled with gifts from her friends made the room feel safer. And the best part of this? She didn't have the return any of the books. No one double checked them either.

Beast Boy would make sure she never ran out of bookmarks. Robin went with her to get wood for more shelves, and Cyborg even installed them, without being asked. Starfire would go out of her way to suggest books she thought she would enjoy. And at every Christmas, or birthday, there would be a new stack of books. The choices were of a wide variety. Beast Boy tended to give her science fiction. Cyborg gave her thrillers. Robin stuck to a good law story, and Starfire gave her more light hearted books to read. She loved all of the recommendations.

She might know an unhealthy amount of Harry Potter trivia. She can list a bunch of magical creatures from Narnia, and don't even get her started on Game of Thrones. Her list of good and bad characters are a mile long and any of her friends have sat through a rant on why she can relate with Snape, and that Peter reminds her so much of Robin, and no, they can't get a dragon, how you seen the damage they can do? But the best gift she could have ever gotten came almost a year later from her new family.

How she had missed it was beyond her. She was a light sleeper and could sense when someone was lying to her. Starfire couldn't keep a secret for the life of her, and Robin got antsy when he was hiding something. When she went down for breakfast one morning, all of her friends were there. In front of her seat was a white box. Raven didn't say a word, and when she sat down, Cyborg nudged the box forward. Tentatively, she took it and removed the lid. Inside was a brass key. Now, she was confused; hardly any doors in the tower had actual locks.

She was led down to the lower levels and presented in front of a door with a purple ribbon on it. Raven wasn't sure how she could have missed it. Slipping the key into the keyhole, Raven felt excited. Her friends were practically oozing excitement. When the door open, Raven gasped.

It was a library. Dozens of new bookshelves, a comfy couch and chair, all hers. Seeing her reaction, the others gathered close. Raven couldn't keep the gratitude out of her voice.

"So, do you like it?" Starfire asked.

"It's wonderful," Raven told them all. Now, she had a home for all of her literary treasures.


	78. Number 17 Raven and the chicken

Author's Note: So close to 300 reviews! Also, there are going to be some one-shots coming in the future. Read and Review guys!

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If anyone was to find out she had it, she would deny it then probably send the person to some deserted island. Raven wasn't the type to discuss feelings, which said a lot since she had a mirror that allowed her to talk to her own, but this was treading into areas that she had no sound footing in. Particularly when it involved someone that had latched onto her emotions pretty quick. It figures; the girl who doesn't engage in outward emotions gets attracted to the guy who wears his on a sleeve. Raven couldn't get over the ironic tone.

Raven didn't mind the attention. But, she was so unused to it that she had no idea how she should respond to it. She was even worse at reciprocating it. She didn't want to go talk to Starfire about this; the girl couldn't keep a secret, and she didn't like the thought of this floating around the tower, so she kept it to herself. In the safety of her room, where there weren't any prying eyes, that's where she would look over everything. There were small drawings stashed away in her drawer from late night meetings. Some old movie posters that he had gotten for her that he thought she might like; she also knew he worried about how bare her walls were, and went through every effort to find stuff she might pin up.

She wanted to return the favor. Raven wasn't the type to let something like this go unnoticed, but she found that when she wanted to do something nice, she was stumped. For as open as Beast Boy was, he could be as private as herself if he chose to be. Which left her stuck. She couldn't talk to the others about this, not yet anyways.

Her biggest secret was stashed away in the closet. The stupid stuffed chicken, (not stupid, it was the first gift anyone had ever won her), but she couldn't bring it into the open. Those feelings didn't have a place for her yet, and she wasn't ready to deal with them. Some nights, when she was certain she was alone, she would think about how she would open up more. Maybe do a girl night with Starfire and talk about this. Not give any defining details, just a vague model for explaining purposes. But, Raven wasn't good at lying about feelings.

She could avoid the questions with Cyborg and Starfire; there was no way she could lie to Beast Boy. He could pick up a fib easily, but it was unclear if he would call her out on it. Raven was just stuck on what she wanted to do. She knew the type of obstacles that she would face if she admitted anything; just look at Starfire and Robin. Plus, she didn't want to be that girl. The guy that gives a guy a chance, then blows it. Beast Boy didn't deserve that. He deserved someone that wanted to try it.

But…maybe, if she got enough courage, she could attempt it. After all, they had been skirting around this issue long enough; what was a few more months or years. A lot, actually, if someone else came along. Raven just wasn't brave enough yet. Hell, she could barely pull out that stuffed chicken for more than a few minutes without blushing. What kind of girl was she? She made her steps small. She would keep an eye on which fruits he had been picking at and made sure they had enough. If there was a chance of rain on a patrol, she had a hot drink waiting.

It would be a few more years before she would be able to express her concerns. It would be even longer before she acted on any of those feelings, but after a few false starts, and more than one heart to heart with the only other girl in the tower, Raven would finally figure it. And when she did that stupid stuffed chicken would be taken out of the closet and placed on the bed.

After all of its own waiting, it deserved a spot where it could see how everything else played out.


	79. Number 40 Robin's constant shadow

Author's Note: School has started! Plus, there's supposed to be a big snow storm coming this weekend. Hope you enjoy this chapter and don't forget to read and review!

Next Chapter: #57

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Pressing the on button on the coffee machine, Robin stared blearily at the clock on the wall. He wanted to sleep, but it wasn't happening, and now, five hours after he went to bed, he was still awake. Deciding he wouldn't be getting visited by the sandman anytime soon, he wandered into the common room. Without his teammates, the room felt empty. No undercurrent of noise, nothing to distract him from his thoughts. Placing his elbows on the counter, Robin watched his coffee drip into the pot. Each drip had him feeling more on edge then before he came here.

He wouldn't mind some company, but he knew that the others didn't enjoy talking about the 'what if' scenarios with him. Especially with the person on his mind. This week's bout of nightmares was focused on the one criminal that eluded him; and still hadn't been actually proclaimed dead. Slade could still be out there, and planning anything, and Robin couldn't sleep because of that. His leads got him nowhere and he had gotten used to dead ends, sadly. For all the help his friends gave him, it didn't help. Robin was grasping at thin air and it was showing.

The press was the worst. Reporters would ask him left and right if he found anything new, if they were investigating any new leads, if there were any breakthroughs. Robin could skirt around the questions, but he didn't have anything to give them. Wasn't he supposed to catch criminals? But Slade wasn't behind bars; and from the looks of it, he wouldn't be anytime soon. That's how this game worked. When Slade wanted him to find something, he would, and not a moment earlier. Now, it was starting to take its toll on his team. The cracks were steadily growing.

Robin was spending more and more time in the file room. He was ignoring the pleas and concerns of his friends. He was tired, snappy, and at times, down right mean. Starfire had cried about it a few times and Raven had yelled at him. Cyborg and Beast Boy were running interference, but mostly, they just wanted things back to normal. Robin couldn't shake this fear no matter what he did. There was no body, no nothing. He would stay awake all night, looking at the paper clippings, trying to find some hidden clue to this never ending hellish mystery.

It wasn't like people in their past hadn't come back from the dead before. A certain blonde haired individual came to mind; though, it wasn't him that she haunted. Slade was his own personal shadow, someone that had him constantly looking over his shoulder. Robin just wanted to stop himself from wondering about all the unknowns about this. If he could get one piece of the puzzle, he could figure it out. Batman had taught him enough of that, and he had only improved since coming to Jump City. The late nights, ignored calls from behind the file room door.

It wasn't fair to his team. They had to deal with Slade as well, and they knew just how awful he could be. But Robin believed he was alone in his own torment and didn't try and reach out to them. So, he missed movie nights and dinners. He went to bed at odd hours, gave more commands than normal, and generally made a nuisance of himself. It all came to a head when the rest of his friends went to an even without him and didn't even bother to ask if he wanted to go. Robin waited for them.

He had them all sit down and they finally, finally, talked. It got loud, since there was a lot of yelling involved, but when Robin woke up the next morning he was greeted with smiles instead of silence. He knew it wasn't an overnight fix. There would be other times where he lost sense of the world around him. Times were he would allow Slade to get under his skin too much. It was a never ending cycle that made the rift bigger between his family. Robin wondered if this time, he would be strong enough to break the cycle.


	80. Number 57 Robin & Starfire

Author's Note: Here's some RobinxStarfire goodness. Read and Review guys!

Next chapter: Number 72

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When they started dating, Robin and Starfire would have these long talks about everything. Of course, the topic of past crushes or loves came up and Robin told Star how he had kissed other girls before her. He couldn't give all the names, but afterwards he felt guilty. Starfire meant so much to him now, and all those past kisses felt like scamming her. He couldn't have known that he would meet her years later, but he always got twitchy when they talked about it. Starfire didn't hold it against him. She had kissed other guys before she told him.

The time in Japan came to mind instantly. Their time there had been crazy, on a crime scale and emotionally, since they both avoided the obvious chemistry between them. The fact that they had almost kissed several times was enough to show that they had to do something about their feelings. Robin had an inkling that if they hadn't gotten together in Japan, the other three may have killed him; probably due to the soul fact that there was so much sexual tension in the tower, and no one wanted to live with that for months, or years, on end.

"Robin," Starfire was curled up next to him on the couch. The others were gone for the night, having gone to see some new movie, and Robin was glad because that meant he could have some time alone with his girlfriend. "Am I a good kisser?" If he wasn't pinned down by Starfire's arm, Robin might have been running right now. This wasn't how he wanted his night to go, and he didn't fancy making his girl cry. But Starfire was smiling at him, curling his hair around her fingers, no scrutiny in her gaze. Robin gathered his thoughts quickly.

"You're a great kisser, Star. Why the sudden asking?" Robin hoped nothing was changing between them. He had been attentive this whole week, even making sure he didn't stay too late in the file room and he went to every meal. Starfire ran her finger down his chest and Robin resisted the urge to laugh.

"It's merely a question," Starfire assured him. "Raven and I were comparing kisses yesterday." Robin raised an eyebrow.

"Who's Raven been kissing?" Robin asked. Starfire smiled.

"I won't tell you, Robin. It's her secret," Starfire didn't give him any more information even if he asked.

"Ok, I'll answer your question if you answer mine," Robin played along. Starfire put her chin on his chest and batted her eyelashes. Robin felt his heart speed up.

"You're a great kisser, Star," Robin answered. His face felt like it was on fire. Starfire smiled and drew some invisible circles on his arm.

"Raven is kissing a boy," Starfire replied. Robin frowned.

"That's not fair, I still don't know who it is," Robin whined. Starfire leaned in and kissed him. When they stopped, Robin was breathless. "That…that was a cheap move."

Starfire smirked. "It worked, didn't it?" She teased. Robin laughed with her. He couldn't even try to be annoyed with his girl; he was too happy in this moment. There was a ping on his communicator and Robin groaned. He scrolled through until he got the message.

"Are we being called in?" Starfire asked. Robin pecked her nose.

"No, the others decided to stay out longer," Robin said. Starfire smirked and got up from the couch. The look in her eyes was downright sinful.

"Well, since we have the tower to ourselves," Starfire drawled out. "I propose a contest. If you can catch me, you can kiss me…wherever you want." Robin felt his mouth go dry and he nodded stupidly.

Starfire leaned into his face. "Count to ten, then come find me." She kissed him again and left. Robin put his communicator back on his belt and stood up. His legs felt like jelly. Smiling, and letting himself enjoy this little moment, he closed his eyes and counted to ten in his head. He had a beautiful girlfriend, someone who was just as crazy about him as he was with her. And while there had been others…none of them matched her.

Opening his eyes, Robin had a feeling that no one would ever surpass her.


	81. Number 72 Scary movies

Author's Note: Here's some BBxRae for your day. Also, I'm cherishing the last few days of sleep since our college fundraiser, Rally, starts this week and no sleep will be had. Also, also, these one shots are coming along and I hope to have another one out this month. Read and Review guys!

Next chapter: #82

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Movie nights were a blessing and a curse. A blessing in the sense that all of them got to curl up on the couch together and relax. A curse in the sense that all of them had different opinions on what type of movie was better and no one could ever come to an agreement. This was the situation of tonight: Starfire had voted for Titanic (they were saying no for obvious reasons), Robin wanted some sort of action/crime movie, and Cyborg and Beast Boy had teamed up for some horror movie. Raven had wanted to watch a simple documentary.

Her choice had been vetoed, so now she was watching as the boys fought amongst themselves. Starfire had given up and was sitting next to her on the couch, smiling as the boys took no notice of them. It made it hard for Raven to think of all of them being older than 16; at this moment, they were acting like children. Finally, they reached an agreement: a double showing, Robin's movie first, then Cyborg's and Beast Boy's choice. As the lights were dimmed and the movie start, Raven began to sulk. She didn't like watching stupid, scary, horror films.

At first it wasn't too bad. The plot line was the standard horror film; by the halfway point, half the cast was dead and the murderer's backstory had been told. Cyborg had devoured the bowl of popcorn, Starfire was curled up into Robin's side, and she and Beast Boy was on the other end of the couch. The changeling didn't seem be bothered by the movie. Raven shifted and tried to keep her powers from going as the killer popped out from behind a door. If she hadn't been focusing, she figured that some glasses would be broken right now.

"Are you ok?" Raven jumped at the sound of Beast Boy's voice. He was looking at her in concern; the others hadn't noticed them yet, too focused on the film. Raven forced herself to look at the screen.

"I'm fine," Raven said. Beast Boy shrugged and stretched his legs out.

"Just checking, you seem to be holding onto the couch pretty tight, though, for someone who's fine," Beast Boy seemed smug about it. Raven glanced down at her hand; she was indeed clutching the cushion hard enough to leave indents. Raven crossed her arms and ignored Beast Boy's silent laughter.

The movie didn't get better. Raven tried to think of anything else, but the sounds coming from the screen prevented her from doing so. She nearly jumped off her seat when her friend poked her. Beast Boy was looking at the screen, but his hand was open, clearly up to her if she wanted to take it.

She did.

Whenever she got scared, which was often, she squeezed his hand. To his credit, Beast Boy never once made a noise of discomfort, and the others didn't notice either. When the movie finished, she let go, and tried to regain composure.

The others got up to get more snacks or for bathroom breaks. Beast Boy looked over at her, eyes conveying concern.

"Are you ok?" Beast Boy was clearly keeping in mind the last time they had watched a scary movie. Raven got up and stretched her legs; her knees gave a loud both that had both of them wincing.

"I'm fine, just don't be surprised if you find some broken glasses," Raven replied. She saw the look on her friend's face and gave him a small smile. "You guys shouldn't have to censor the movies you watch because of me."

"Still doesn't mean that we can't check in with you," Beast Boy insisted. Raven bumped his shoulder.

"How about this? Next time we watch a scary movie, I'll let you know if it's too much, sound like a good deal?" Raven knew that Beast Boy wasn't going to let this go. The changeling was agreeing before she had even finished her sentence.

"Deal. You can even squeeze my hand again if you want," Beast Boy said the last part a lot softer and a blush threatened to rise up on his cheeks. Raven found it adorable.

"I'll remember that, Gar."


	82. Number 82 Early morning talks

Author's Note: We finally got snow! Also, there will be a one-shot posted this month. Read and review minions!

Next chapter: #89

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Robin and Beast Boy didn't have heart to hearts very often. It wasn't that they couldn't, but in the sense of being ackward and different amounts of trust, they each had separate confidents. But, the one thing they did bond over was the random comments from their past teams. They would each say something about that, usually when the others weren't around, and go from there. At first, neither of them felt comfortable enough to talk about their pasts. Robin was insanely private and Beast Boy took a long time to trust you enough to tell you anything deeply personal.

Now, though, with more than a few years between them, sharing stories flowed a little easier. It wasn't anything major; just a simple mission tale from time to time. Robin was still bitter from his choice to leave Batman and Beast Boy was constantly sheltering them from the aspects of the Doom Patrol. When the holidays hit, however, it was the two of them pushing for being together for the holidays. Having a full team, a full, living, healthy, and safe team, for the holiday season wasn't something to ignore. Both of them were determined to make these times count.

Robin was a planner; Beast Boy liked acting out those plans. The others didn't have to wait long before the decorations came out. News Years was the most relaxed holiday in the tower. Starfire planned that one and the boys just sat back and enjoyed. They had their own tradition anyway before the big party. Early in the morning they would go up to the roof and just talk. Mostly it was firing small snippets of past holidays, and then comparing them to the ones they had now. Robin could recall the late nights spent out on rooftops with Batman. Beast Boy would remember being out on late night patrols in cities he didn't know.

"So, any resolutions for this year?" Robin was spread out on the pavement near the volleyball net; it was currently just two poles since Cyborg had taken the net inside for the winter. Beast Boy shrugged from his position against one of the poles.

"Not really. I've never been into the whole thing. Why wait till a new year has come to make a change?" Beast Boy asked. Robin cracked his ankle.

"Maybe it's the feeling of starting over," Robin suggested in response to him. Beast Boy took a sip of his hot chocolate.

"Ok, so any predictions for this year?" Beast Boy asked as Robin got himself comfy on his knees. Robin chuckled.

"You won't do resolutions but you want predictions?" Robin teased. Beast Boy moved his knee so that Robin was jostled from his spot.

"Yes, don't patronize me, Mister I need everything planned out to the minute." Robin laughed and pondered the question for a moment.

"Cyborg's going to hook up with someone," Robin said finally. Beast Boy snorted and Robin looked up sharply. "What?"

"Might want to pick something else, Robin." Beast Boy was smirking now and Robin pinched him until he elaborated. "Ok, ok, let go. I can't give details, you just to wait and see." Robin snorted.

"Like how we waited for you and Raven to get together?" Robin had to endure a flick to his ear.

"Don't even start. Try waiting for you and Star to finally start dating. We should all get medals for that," Beast Boy tried to sound stern but he was grinning by the end. His friend couldn't embody the commanding, leader tone unless he was with people who he didn't know particularly well.

"Alright, alright, so no predictions on the dating aspect." Robin glanced up at the sky; they might have a chance for some snow, but it wasn't likely. "Maybe we'll have a good year."

Beast Boy frowned. "We've had good years before."

Robin smiled faintly. "Sure, with apocalypses, wars, and everything. I just want a simple, normal year." Neither of them talk for a while after that. By the time the sun, or what they could see of it, had risen both of them were ready to go back inside.

"Before we go in," Robin paused in his rising position. Beast Boy hoisted himself up and pulled Robin up. "Cheers to your simple and normal year."

With a smile, Robin took a last sip of his coffee and hoped it would happen.


	83. Number 89 Robin's secret tradition

Author's Note: So we got a lot of snow, our heater is broken so the dorm room feels like Hades, and my curtain broke. It's a great day. Have some musing Robin for your day. Read and Review :)

Next Chapter: Number 9

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Robin knew that if he got caught there would be a lot of questions asked. Mainly those that revolved around the effect of why he carried matches in his belt, and why he was standing next to the sink with a piece of paper and the fire starters on the counter. The light from the overhead was the only one that was on and the others had long since gone to bed after the party had ended. The empty bowls of snacks and some leftover confetti was on the floor, waiting to be cleaned up after everyone had woken up.

Uncapping the pen, Robin tapped it against his lips. He always thought out his list carefully; he didn't put anything on paper unless he was sure he could achieve it. His resolutions were always private and he didn't reveal them to his friends unless he felt like they needed to know. Sitting down at the table, he started to put his ideas to the paper. The only noise was the sound of his pen gliding across the paper. The room felt empty without his friends, but he knew once morning hit he wouldn't get a moments peace until tomorrow night.

He had been doing this for a while now. It started with Batman, but he never put much effort into it. The holidays were never celebrated much and resolutions tended to be frowned upon. This wasn't a plan for resolutions, though. Robin wanted to make this year better than last year and settling these goals was something he took more seriously. Before he knew it, he had about a dozen things on the sheet of paper.

Make more of an effort to understand car lingo so you can understand Cyborg's fascination with it.

Pay more attention to the others if you see them getting overwhelmed.

Lay off on the overbearing leader. It gets old after a while.

Robin leaned back in his chair and cracked his knuckles. The clock hanging on the wall had its ticking noise echoing in the room. Robin got up and made himself some coffee. He didn't need the caffeine, but the warm beverage was soothing and right now he just wanted to relax and enjoy the quiet. It was so rare for the tower to be completely silent; the noise was something that made all of them more comfortable. It assured them that everything worked.

Robin jotted down a few more lines and then stood up from the table. He read over the list and deemed it sufficient for this year; then again, Robin never felt satisfied with it. Clearing out what dishes were left in the sink, Robin got his matches ready. He held the list in one hand and lit one bottom corner with the match. The paper flared to life and Robin watched the smoke curl around the edges. Soon, there was nothing left but the charred remains and a few burning embers. Robin made sure to take care of the mess.

After he had rinsed out the sink he headed off to bed. The emergency lights were the only thing that were on, and the sound of his socked feet brushing the carpet was soothing. He hadn't thought that the tower could be so quiet. He made his rounds as he checked on his friends; Cyborg was snoring, Starfire was sleeping peacefully, and Raven and Beast Boy were curled up together. That was still something he had to wrap his head around. He punched in the code for his room and flicked on the lights. He changed into his comfy sweatpants.

As he settled into his bed he wondered if the others had any personal traditions. They had never talked about it before; maybe it was time for another one of those late night talks. He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep, but his brain was still thinking. Rolling over, Robin stared at his ceiling, trying to figure out what was keeping him up. Finally, he got up and fished out another piece of paper and got his match. Dumping out his waste bin, he added one more thing onto his list. Lighting the bottom of it, he dropped it in. Before the flames took it, he looked at the words one last time.

_Finally talk to the others about this list._


	84. Number 9 Doctor Who

Author's Note: I think it's a well known fact that there would be some sort of fandom show watched in the tower. Also, within the next week a certain one shot might finally (FINALLY) be posted. Read and review guys!

Next chapter: Number 29

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It was a well-known fact that once a week, or twice if the crime rate permitted, Beast Boy and Starfire would settle in and watch a couple of episodes of Doctor Who. The others didn't understand the show, but it was more endearing to simply observe. A lot of the time, it was Robin watching on, content in the fact that his friends had something to bond over. Even if the plotlines gave him headaches. Tonight wasn't any exception. It was past seven, and Starfire was camped out of the couch with some popcorn; Beast Boy was seated on the floor.

"I do hope that they don't create trouble this time." Starfire had her arms wrapped around one of the plushy toys she had gotten recently; tonight, it was an adipose.

"You do know that shows like this can only exist in conflict, right?" Beast Boy leaned his head back onto the couch and suffered through the flick Starfire gave to the end of his nose. "Hey, if no one dies this episode, I think we'll be ok." Starfire had pressed the play button and they settled in to watch. It was a standard episode; Doctor arrives, meets new people, finds a conflict that he shouldn't get involved in, and then gets involved anyway.

After the second commercial break, Robin shuffled his way over to the couch and settled in with his friends, coffee cup in hand. Both of his teammates were talking amongst themselves about the plot. It was all confusing to Robin; he could never get into this kind of stuff.

"So…any aliens yet?" Robin asked as he sipped his coffee. Beast Boy rolled his eyes at him.

"It's all aliens, Robin. That's what Doctor Who is." Robin shrugged.

"Not my fault I didn't know. I've never watched." Starfire spun around to face him. Robin had to lean back a bit so that her face wasn't so close anymore.

"Then this is the perfect time for you to start!" Starfire was grinning broadly but looked down when Beast Boy tapped her leg.

"Do you really want him to start the show on this episode? We know what's going to happen in the end, do you really want him to experience that?" Beast Boy asked her. Robin was even more confused when Starfire slumped into the couch.

"Why must there be another regeneration? I do not want to go through the emotional trauma like last time." Starfire cried as she snuggled into the couch. Beast Boy patted her leg but kept his eyes trained on the screen.

"I'm worried about the companion that they're gonna pick," Beast Boy mentioned. "After Donna they haven't been that good." Starfire huffed.

"May I remind you of Rose and Amy? They were wonderful!" Robin was so confused; none of these names meant anything to him. He had no clue what he had willingly walked into.

"Amy I'll admit was pretty good, but Rose was okay," Beast Boy told Starfire. Starfire didn't look happy.

Robin sensed an argument coming and decided that now was a good time to take a walk. Starfire had pulled Beast Boy onto the couch and the two were firing remarks at one another. Cyborg was in the kitchen, watching the scene with a smile.

"They having another fan war?" Cyborg laughed as he searched for a snack.

"We can still hear you, Cyborg." Both of them jumped and quickly grabbed their items as Starfire began to flail her arms. Robin couldn't grasp the conversation; there was a bunch of names being thrown about and he was so helplessly confused.

Cyborg had walked over to the couch and Robin decided to hole himself up in his room for a while. He had his laptop stashed there, and since the city had been quiet, he figured he might as well use up some time on Netflix. Doctor Who had to be on there, right?

About a week later, Starfire and Beast Boy were starting the show and Robin sat down with them.

"I hate you guys." Robin glared at the screen that was sure to cause him some emotional distress. Starfire pecked his cheek.

"Welcome to the dark side, Rob," Beast Boy said cheerfully.


	85. Number 29 How BBxCy make up

Author's Note: Spring break is coming and I can't wait. Also, I kind of view BBxCy's relationship on one where fights don't tend to happen regularly. If you haven't had a chance yet, the sequel to Flu Bugs is up, so take a look :) read and review guys!

* * *

Cyborg could count on one hand the amount of times he and Beast Boy had actually fought. Some people who didn't live with them might say it's because they chose to ignore things, but they didn't. He and his little buddy just chose not to waste time fighting with each other. There were enough fights that went on in the tower; they didn't need to add to it. Plus, their personalities didn't really suggest that they were an arguing pair. Cyborg only got an attitude when his massive ego was threatened and Beast Boy tended to be more easy going.

But, they did, on occasion, go at each other. When that happened the others stayed out of the way, knowing that trying to step into fights between people who rarely fought wasn't a good idea. This had been the case today. Cyborg knew he was moping, and in all honesty if he had waited a few moments to hear the explanation, then he and Beast Boy wouldn't have argued. His stubbornness, and the desire to be right, got in the way and as a result he didn't listen to the information Beast Boy had and cost them both a criminal burglar while on patrol.

Robin had given them a harsh scolding and Beast Boy had given him the cold shoulder for the remainder of the night. So, he was hoping that today would be better. The city was bustling, but the traffic wasn't terrible. Walking into the bookstore, he easily picked out a new book (Raven might have taken pity on him and given him a suggestion on what to get). His second stop was to a little hole in the wall place. He picked up his buddy's favorite and headed back home. Robin was tuning up his bike when he stopped and parked.

"Looks like someone has been in the doghouse all night." Robin was smirking at him. Cyborg may have slammed the door too hard, but all he wanted was to make up with his best friend.

"Don't start with the puns, Robin." The boy wonder held up his hands in the surrender motion and went back to his bike. Cyborg waited for the elevator and tapped his foot impatiently. He messaged Raven quickly to try and figure out where Beast Boy was. Robin grabbed the book and flipped it over to see the cover.

"Um, I'm guessing it's German?" Robin asked. Cyborg shrugged.

"I'm not sure. Raven gave me the suggestion and I went with it. I'm positive she wouldn't give me the name if B owned something like this already." Robin handed the book back and picked up a wrench on one of the workbenches.

"Good luck, I guess." Robin didn't seem too worried about their little spat. Then again, they hardly ever fought and it only ever lasted a few days at the most. Leaving Robin to his bike, Cyborg headed off to find his friend; Raven had said he was in the common room with her right now.

Raven didn't even lift her eyes from her book when he walked in. As he walked past her, she muttered under breath. Tapping her on the shoulder, he waited for her to repeat it with his face void of emotion. Raven rolled her eyes. "Really playing the whole groveling act up, aren't you?" Cyborg stuck his tongue out and made his way to Beast Boy. He was pressing buttons on one of the older gaming videos they had.

"Hey there, B." Cyborg plastered on a cheerful smiled. Beast Boy nodded but still gave him the cold shoulder. Cyborg pressed on. He slid the book onto his friend's leg; he started to smile when Beast Boy paused the game to look at the title.

"There's no way you picked this out by yourself." Beast Boy held the book up in disbelief. Cyborg rubbed the back of his neck.

"I had some help." He could _hear_ Raven's smirk from the kitchen. He handed the small carton of vegetable stir-fry and tried to put on his best apology face. "I'm sorry about yesterday. Is the level of groveling ok for you, or do we need to go another round?"

Beast Boy started laughing as he put his book on the table and stood up to get a fork.

"Don't worry, I think you're good until it's my turn."


	86. Number 44 Raven's journals

Author's Note: I know I didn't post last week. I was in South Carolina and completely forgot to update. But the posting schedule is back on track now. Also, one shots are in the works, but I probably won't be posting the next one until next month. I'm trying my hand at some other fandoms as well as the Teen Titan one. So, read and review! I feel like Raven would be one to remember all the people they couldn't save; no doubt they had to deal with some deaths, even if the show didn't let us see that.

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Raven had good and bad days. Since joining the Titans, the amount of days she spent brooding alone ad decreased, but there was always something to trigger it again. Generally, she didn't tell her friends about her struggles; they all had themselves to worry about, they didn't need to waste time and focus on her. She was proved wrong. As soon as they knew, her friends would always check on her during those dark times. Over the years, she developed a therapeutic way to relieve some of the feelings inside of her. Uncertain of how to begin, Raven would hide it.

The list was designed to help put things into perspective. After years of working on the side of heroes, the actual people they saved tended to get lost in the scuffle. She would try and remember as many as she could, but she was willing to bet that she was forgetting some. The living ones, anyway. The people they hadn't been able to get to in time would have their names imprinted forever. She still included them; the news would focus on other stories and she wanted someone else to remember them besides the families. It was a simple journal, leather binding, nothing that would stick out in her room. She didn't leave it in the open, not in the beginning.

After making her notes for the day, she would shove it in the bedside drawer. She considered locking it, but no one came into her room (except Beast Boy), but he didn't take much notice in her books. As time went on, and she got more used to writing out the names, she moved the journal over to the bookshelf. Placed between two large tomes, Raven felt like she made some sort of big step, even if she couldn't put it into words. She had to get a new journal eventually; there were no space left in the narrow margins.

This time she didn't bother to hide it; she felt comfortable writing in it while she was in the common room sometimes. Cyborg asked her once what she was scribbling down in there, but she simply shrugged and said it was just used to get her thoughts together. Other than that, her friends didn't ask her much about it. They knew she liked her privacy, and if she really felt like she wanted to talk about it, she would mention it. In the early years it might have annoyed them, but now it was just Raven's way of expressing herself.

She had wondered many a nights if the others could remember certain names of people. She knew that Robin and Beast Boy had long ago talked about it; they could remember who it was and where. Cyborg never said and neither did Starfire. Perhaps she was the only one to keep an updated account of their job, but she didn't mind. She no longer punished herself if something was out of her control. The harsh reality of their job was that they couldn't always save everyone at the end of the day. Sometimes, a depressing funeral service couldn't be avoided.

They had their own way of handling the loss; mostly they just avoided each other for the rest of the day, inevitably coming together in a cuddle pile for the night. As soon as morning hit, however, Raven had inked in the names of the people who were now six feet under. Morbid, for sure, but it was the only way for her to process the death. If they actually had an in house psychologist, they would have a field day with her, or any of her friends really. The journals kept filling up as the years continued to pass.

When it came time for them to leave the tower so that the next wave of heroes could move in, Raven had boxed up her journals. When Cyborg was loading them into the truck he saw them, but didn't comment. But as they settled into their new place, Raven decided that it was time for her to share. They wouldn't be saving anyone anymore, so perhaps it was time to remember the names she had painstakingly written in. Over the next few weeks, they read the names, reminisced about old missions. When Raven put them away this time, they went on a shelf in the living room, a testament to why they did what they did.

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Next chapter: Number 71


	87. Number 71 Water wars

Author's Note: Hello! Here's another cute team bonding snippet. I'm in the process of writing the second part of the next one-shot and the next chapter of TLT is in the works. So, read and review!

Next chapter: #85

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When Robin woke up that morning, and nearly tripped and collided with the opposite wall across from his door, he looked down to find a medium sized water gun and knew that it had begun. Wondering who had drawn his name this year, Robin made his way careful to the kitchen. He used a pocket mirror to check around corners; he lost last year to Raven for not checking each one. But he didn't run into anyone. He walked into the common room. Cyborg was sitting at the table, his water gun sitting beside his eggs. But he didn't move.

"Relax, Rob, I didn't draw your name this year." Robin still took caution as he got his coffee and sat down. One finger was always on the trigger.

"So, who did you draw then?" Robin asked as he took a sip of his coffee. Cyborg shrugged.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Robin didn't waste time wondering; he needed to find out who had him. He knew it probably wasn't Raven. She had him last year and they couldn't draw the same name in back to back years. So that left him with Starfire and Beast Boy. Not so great odds.

After he finished his breakfast, Robin decided it wasn't safe to stay out in a wide space for much longer. He had some files to review, so he began his slow trek to his work room. A normal walk which usually only took his a few minutes, took close to twenty since he was being overly cautious. He didn't want to lose this year. The person who got out first had to suffer the pain of wearing an article of clothing from the other four. Cyborg had lost last year and still couldn't look at rain boots the same way.

As he turned around a corner, he came face to face with Beast Boy. Both boys had their water guns drawn, but they didn't shoot.

"You don't have me?" Robin hedged. Beast Boy shook his head.

"No, I wish I did." The changeling frowned at that and Robin had to laugh. So that meant that Starfire had him. And he had to get Starfire. Well, this was going to be interesting.

"So who do you have?" Robin asked as they both made their way to the file room. Beast Boy smirked.

"Take a wild guess." Robin knew he and Starfire had each other, and Raven had Cyborg…oh. Robin started to laugh when he realized that Beast Boy might have it worse than him.

"Laugh it up, Rob. You came close to losing last year." Beast Boy said as they walked into the room. The changeling had a hand wrapped around his water pistol, and Robin couldn't blame him. He and Raven had to get one another; Azar help the person who got caught in the middle.

"But I didn't lose, Cyborg did." As he fired up the computer, Robin came to the horrifying realization. "Have you seen the girls today?"

"No." Beast Boy eyed the door and adjusted the hold on his pistol. Robin slowly positioned himself towards the door, in case he needed to make a quick escape. Not that he had a chance of outrunning Starfire. "I'm gonna take my chances with the vents." Robin glared at his teammates back as Beast Boy disappeared. He envied the fact that his friend could literally appear and disappear in the blink of an eye. Shaking his head, Robin tried to get some work done, but couldn't focus. Gathering his wits about him, Robin decided to find Starfire, his intended target.

Roughly twenty minutes later, Robin was deeply regretting his decision to go looking for Starfire, as he walked into a trap set by Raven, which was meant for Cyborg, and he wasn't quite quick enough to escape without Starfire seeing him. As he raced through the hall, which was pointless since his girlfriend could _fly_, he tried to manage a hit on her. But as he was aiming, he didn't judge the distance correctly to avoid a random table in the hall, and he hit the corner and went falling to the fall. As did his water gun.

As he felt the first few drops of water, and saw his girlfriend began to cheer, Robin began to realize, with a certain amount of fear that he had lost. Somehow, he didn't think he would be getting off easy either.


	88. Number 85 New Year's bet

Author's Note: Here's some more team action. The next one is going to be more Raven focused. Also, a new one-shot is on the way! Feel free to read and review!

Next chapter: Number 94

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One of the common pastimes in the tower was to place bets on things. Bets on who could beat the record on the obstacle course, on who could get the farthest in the newest video game, on who was the strongest, and so on. Mostly the bets happened between the boys; the girls took more enjoyment in watching them go crazy trying to beat the other two. But the longest bet had to be between Cyborg and Robin. Since the first year the team celebrated New Year, they had decided that the first person to kiss their crush would win.

Both of them had failed to take some outliers into account. Specifically, Beast Boy and Raven. For one, at the time when the bet started, Beast Boy was still too shy to talk to girls and Raven didn't want to have anything to do with romance. And then Terra happened and, well, no one wanted to touch that situation with a ten foot pole. And then Malchior happened and the guys really didn't want to address the situation. That's the thing about assuming something; you eventually make an ass of yourself. And Cyborg and Robin definitely made asses of themselves.

It came to head about four years later. They were hosting a giant party in the tower, and a bunch of honorary titans had shown up. Caught up in their competition, neither Cyborg nor Robin noticed that Raven and Beast Boy were hanging close to one another, or that they were sporting matching grins. If they had, they might had taken notice that both of them had been aware of the bet since Christmas and knew just how money they had invested. But the two 'mature' boys didn't. Cyborg had his eyes on Bumble Bee and Robin was trying Starfire.

As the night began to wind down, and the pressure of finding someone to kiss at midnight made its presence known, the boys moved in on their crushes. Bumble Bee was receptive; it didn't take long for Cyborg to get her laughing at some random story he was telling. Robin didn't have to seek Starfire out, on the contrary, the girl found him and began asking him about some odd tradition. From the sidelines, Raven was smirking. It wasn't just her and Beast Boy that knew of the bet; several honorary titans were going to cash in on tonight too.

"Do you think they have any clue?" Beast Boy asked as he handed her a fresh cup of punch. Raven shrugged as she took a sip.

"Probably not. They've had this thing going for years. The fact that neither of them has made a move yet does have me worried." Raven wanted to steal their thunder tonight. The fact that hardly anyone knew that they were dating yet amused her, but she couldn't wait to see the shocked faces on Cyborg's and Robin's faces when they realized that they lost. Patience was key. Only a few more hours to go.

As the minutes past, everyone began to gravitate towards the couches and television. The ball shone on the screen, and some talk show host turned to announce the next act. From the looks of it, almost everyone had begun to pair up. Beast Boy left her briefly to talk to Cyborg, and Raven had to hide a smile at Robin's sly attempts to put his arm around Starfire. It would have been less painful if the girl didn't already know what he was doing and was creating every possible opportunity for him to lean in and kiss her at midnight.

Finally they began the countdown. People paired up with one another, and Raven leaned into Beast Boy's shoulder. Robin was blushing, Cyborg was trying to act slick, and the secret couple made sure that they were in direct sight of the two titan boys. As the final seconds flew by, and the ball dropped, people began to cheer. But before Cyborg or Robin could move, Beast Boy had already kissed Raven. The sight made the two's jaws drop. Glancing at their friends, Bumble Bee and Starfire went over to talk to them.

Robin and Cyborg, on the other hand, refused to bring up the bet again after Raven and Beast Boy stole their thunder.


	89. Number 94 Cooking is Raven's thing

Author's Note: Here's a Raven centered one. This series is nearing the end! So, enjoy and read and review :)

Next Chapter: Number 14

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Once everyone in the tower had figured out their sleep schedules, it was easy to pick out the hours when everyone would be sleeping. That golden hour turned out to be between 3 and 5 am; Raven took full advantage of this when she could. Nothing was nicer then curling up on the couch with a hot drink and watching whatever old cooking show rerun was on. Raven didn't know when her curiosity with cooking had started, but she knew it was something she wanted to try different styles and techniques. She certainly had a wide variety of taste testers.

Granted, she actually hadn't started to cook, but she had a list of dishes she wanted to try. Grilled steak with a garlic mashed potato side dish. A hearty vegetable risotto. Fluffy eggs and sweet pancakes. She had tried to make something on her own, a simply rice and chicken dish, but she ended up setting off the fire alarm and she hadn't tried since then. At least her self-esteem had improved; her cooking skills still had a lot to be desired. Pushed to the back of the cabinets were several cookbooks, already earmarked with potential dishes she envisioned making.

She finally got the chance to try again one night. Robin and Starfire were on patrol, that was the cover story, but they all knew that the pair was on a date somewhere. Cyborg was off doing something in the garage that was making a lot of noise, and it was Thursday, so it meant that Beast Boy was sleeping to bounce back from his all night patrol the previous day. Deciding to take it slow, Raven selected some simple shortbread cookies, figuring that they wouldn't take too long and all the needed ingredients were already there in the kitchen.

In the end, her finished product wasn't very pretty. Half of the cookies were burnt, the other half sickeningly sweet, but Raven felt proud of them all the same. She saved a few salvageable ones and left then on a paper plate, with a note that made them available to everyone. When she came in the next morning, the cookies were gone, and she felt way more pleased then she expected. The next few sessions followed suit; a half-decent product, and then her testing it out on her friends. When no one got sick, she counted it as a success.

She started shifting through the recipes for specific ones that her friends would enjoy. She experimented with a coffee flavored cake; it took half a dozen tries, with the coffee flavor being too strong or too weak, before she got it. Now, it wasn't uncommon to walk in and have some sitting on the counter. Another favorite were little cookie balls with jam inside. Not as fancy, but easy to make and quick to eat. It also didn't escape her knowledge that those were Beast Boy's favorite. Before long there were half a dozen cookbooks on her small cabinet shelf.

She didn't verbally broadcast her interest in cooking. So, imagine her surprise one Christmas when one of her gifts was a gift certificate for cooking classes' downtown. The class was offered for several weeks, and Robin had told her, crime load permitting, that she was excused from training sessions that day. Eagerly, she counted down the days till the class began. It was one of the best presents she had received. Each class she learned new dishes and techniques. Of course, on the weekends, she would show off to her friends; they were always happy for the change in meals.

After they had moved into the new tower, Raven wasn't surprised to find that Cyborg had made sure that there was a large kitchen built in. She also had a feeling that Robin and Beast Boy had spent a large amount of money on appliances; Starfire had ensured that they were in her favorite color. To thank them, she used everything they got her, and soon it was fairly common that there was always some backed good on the counter, and the fridge was stocked high with fresh food.

Raven still watched the cooking channel; it was a great way for her to remember how far she had come.


	90. Number 14 Driving lessons

Author's Note: Whoever said that college was a good idea was wrong. I'm pretty sure I've killed an entire forest with the amount of papers I've printed this week. In other news, here's some BBxCy goodness :) There will be a one-shot this week, with AOG following at the end of the month. So, read and review!

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"Alright, let's go through this again." Cyborg leaned over the console between then and started pointing to items in the car. He gestured to the two pedals on the bottom. "Which is which?"

"Brake is on the left, gas on the right," Beast Boy answered. Surprisingly, it only took a few tries for him to nail down the parts of the car; but Cyborg was still not leaving the garage until he felt that his best friend had it drilled into his head. That was the way he learned, and being the only one in the tower to drive, meant that no one was going to challenge him on it.

"Ok, how about the gear shift?" It wasn't that he didn't trust his friend. Beast Boy could, surprisingly handle a bike, but Cyborg was cautious. In terms of aerodynamics, he didn't stand a chance against his best friend; cars were his territory, and he didn't want to subject his baby to something a callus as a busted bumper. That was just to cover up the fact that if his friend died behind the wheel, Cyborg would bring him back to kill Beast Boy himself.

"D for drive, R for reverse." They had been going over this for hours. At least if felt that way. Finally deciding that his friend had the basics down, he had them change spots. Driving out into the city felt different; as he went, he kept quizzing Beast Boy, until he found an abandoned lot in the outskirts of town.

"Alright, just this lot. We can practice turns and parking." As so it went. Beast Boy wasn't bad, but like most first time drivers he couldn't quite get the speed down, and the stops were jerky. Cyborg made sure to keep his teasing to a minimum.

The lessons were sporadic at best; with calls coming in at a moment's notice, it wasn't like they could sit down and plan out a schedule. But Cyborg tried to put aside a couple of hours each week. So far, there hadn't been any damages, and his baby was still standing at the end of each session.

Until the possum incident.

They had been driving down a quiet street, talking about something stupid, when a possum had run in front of the car. Beast Boy had hit the brakes, like Cyborg had taught him too. Cyborg had forgotten that his green friend was driving, and reached out to grab the steering wheel. He jerked it to the side; they missed the animal, but the front bumper of the car was dented from the guard rail.

When Cyborg stepped out to inspect the damage it wasn't that bad. But, angry at the animal and the fact that he had to repair the car, he let his frustration show.

"What the hell was that?" Cyborg shouted.

"We wouldn't have hit the rail if you hadn't grab the wheel." Beast Boy was sorry enough for the dent, he didn't need Cyborg reaming him.

The argument escalated to the point where Cyborg refused to let him back in the car. Beast Boy took off, and Cyborg tried not to let his guilt show as he made his way back home. When he got back to the tower, Robin informed him that he wasn't needed for the night patrol; Beast Boy had gone in his place with Starfire. In his room was a blank envelope with enough money to cover the damage. When asked about his mood, Cyborg didn't answer. He'd overreacted and didn't want to include anyone else in this mess of a situation.

Eventually they both apologized; it was impossible for either of them to hold a grudge, and the whole tower felt off when they fought. Cyborg didn't use the money he got, and Beast Boy helped him repair the bumper. After that, the driving lessons went pretty smooth. And no one was prouder then Cyborg when the little green bean actually got his license.

Years later, in the new tower, there would be a collection of cars, and Cyborg would still be the one to go to if you wanted to learn how to drive. He'd still teach you even if you messed up his car.

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Next Chapter: Number 54


	91. Number 54 Why he wears the gloves

Author's Note: This has not been a good week. School is ending (which means projects galore) and I lost both my Betta fish. On a brighter note, Spoiled Rotten is up so you should take a look at it, and AOG will be posted at the end of the week. So, read and review :)

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There were things in the tower that you just didn't address. Robin's mask, his need for complete order at every hour, and a suspicious bullet wound that seemed to be the only horrible injury he suffered from. Raven never answered questions about a women in white in a picture frame, and Cyborg didn't feel the need to talk about the massive scars where metal met flesh. Starfire felt that out of all of them, she and Beast Boy were the most open. Not much to hide from the world, and she never realized how much she cared for all that.

That awful fact, that each of them had their own secrets and insecurities, can to a head one night. They had all been watching movies, and nearly all of them were passed out on the couch. Starfire had just gotten back from brushing her teeth when she started to make sure her friends were comfortable. It was humid, and as she gently unclipped Raven's cloak, she caught a glimpse of Beast Boy's gloves. They had to be thick, and Starfire figured she was doing him a favor by taking them off so he wouldn't be too warm during the night.

Gently, she started on one hand, slowly released the Velcro strap. She finally got the glove off, and her eyes widen. At the exact point, Beast Boy woke up. One look at her face, and the glove she was holding, was enough to have him quickly grabbing his stolen glove and then sprinting out of the room. Starfire knew better than to go after him. The next morning, on the surface, Beast Boy pretended that nothing was wrong. But he wouldn't stay in the room with her alone, and she noticed that his grey gloves were wrapped tighter than usual.

By the end of the day, Starfire couldn't just ignore it anymore. She managed to corner Beast Boy off in the hall, and dragged him into one of the spare rooms.

"I believe we have to have a talk." Beast Boy crossed his arms, but Starfire could tell that he was anxious. Her friend didn't hide things for no reason. "I'm not angry, though I suppose you are at me, and you're correct in doing so. But I'm mostly," she had to pause to think of the right word. "Curious, as to why you acted in such a way last night."

"You just startled me that's all." Beast Boy answered quickly. She noticed that his hands were balled up tightly, like she was going to try and take his gloves.

"But that's not the true reason, is it?" Starfire asked gently. "Whatever happens between us, will stay between us, you have my word." She didn't know what was making him act this way, but she didn't want her friend going around worried like this. Besides, this was her fault, she was the one that needed to fix this.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" Beast Boy asked. Starfire smiled at him and gestured over to the faded couch.

"I will not push you for details, friend. I just want to know what I did wrong so that I won't do it, or let it happen again, in the future." Starfire couldn't imagine what would happen if the others found out.

"And this won't go out of the room?" Beast Boy was fiddling with the edges of the cuff, and Starfire reassured him that it wouldn't. Slowly, her friend took off the gloves and laid out one hand to see. Starfire, respectfully, waited for him to begin talking.

"So, sometimes my powers can get a little bit…intense. When I first started out, the gloves just helped keep people more relaxed. After a while, I just got used to wearing them, and having them off around people didn't feel right." Cautiously, he gave her his free hand. Starfire knew how hard this must be for him, and tried to maintain her composure. A normal hand ending with sharp pointed claws; the odd thing was that the other hand didn't have them.

"They're retractable. Took a while to figure that one out." Starfire linked their hands together.

"Then we will figure that part out together. When you're ready, we can talk to the others, but in my presence, if you wish to remove your gloves, I would feel honored." The small smile didn't say he would take her up on the offer, but Starfire was willing to wait.

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Next Chapter: #81


	92. Number 81 Mistletoe

Author's Note: It's the last week of classes! 8 more school days until I'm on break and then I can start cranking out one-shots. So, read and review guys :)

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For once, Robin wished that Starfire hadn't been alerted to certain holiday traditions. He wasn't sure who was to blame, but when he found out, he was going to punish them…or thank them. He wasn't quite sure yet. It was two weeks before Christmas and the tower was slowly being transformed into a place of festive cheer. Robin could stand the lights, the tree, and even those annoying singing dolls that Cyborg got a kick out of hiding in random places. But the one item that threw him for a loop seemed harmless, until Starfire realized its use.

Freaking mistletoe.

Robin didn't shy anyway from things. He was taught to face things head on, and for the most part he did. But when it came to a certain red haired girl in the tower…Robin tended to lose all common sense. This was one of those times. In theory, this was a great chance to finally kiss the girl he had had a crush on since meeting her. But in reality, Robin was scared shitless and tended to revert back to the mentality of a preteen. Somewhere in the tower, Cyborg was laughing at him. Robin was utterly sure of it.

At first, the plant was only on one doorway. Then another…and another…and then it spread throughout the tower. It was on doorframes, archways, hell, even in the bedrooms! What was worse was that the others seemed calm about it. He figured that one of the other boys, one of which had a crush on the only other girl in the tower, would make a move, but no! He brought it up one night when it was just him and the boys.

"So, that's have an honest conversation here." Cyborg looked up from his car magazine, and Beast Boy waited patiently.

"Have any of you actually kissed someone during the holidays?" Cyborg grinned and Beast Boy rolled his eyes.

"Depends on the type of kiss." Cyborg chuckled. Robin glared and looked at Beast Boy. The changeling shrugged.

"Don't look at me." Robin narrowed his eyes.

"You've got to have something!" Robin didn't want to appear desperate, but he needed advice.

"Not really. You would know if I was lying, too." Beast Boy pointed out, and beside him, Cyborg agreed.

"Fine, so," Robin turned his attention back to Cyborg. "Advice?" The android leaned back and laced his hands behind his head.

"On what?" Robin hated that he had to spell this out. The grin on Cyborg's face was enough to make him want to hide under the couch.

"How to kiss…someone…during the holidays." He almost said Starfire's name, but he figured that the two already knew about that. It didn't matter; he was trying to protect what was left of his pride.

"Well, making sure they know you're gonna kiss them is a good place to start." Cyborg offered. "Works even better if they like you as well." Beast Boy laughed at that but didn't comment. Smart kid.

"Anything else?" Robin begged. Cyborg shrugged and got up; he paused to ruffled Beast Boy's hair and pat Robin's shoulder.

"Nothing else to it, man. Just kiss her. But if she's angry beforehand, you might want to skip it. I heard that some girls can literally shoot laser beams when they're pissed." Cyborg laughed at his own joke and then left the room. Robin groaned from his spot on the couch.

"Any bright ideas?" Robin asked dully. Beast Boy rolled his eyes.

"Just do it. Honestly Robin, we've been waiting for over three years; if you don't kiss her this year, we aren't going to make it any easier for you."

Robin paced around the room for the next hour, debating in his head about planning it out or simply going and kissing Star. Deciding that he should start with locating the girl, at the very least, Robin shuffled out of the room. He'd never been this nervous about anything before, and it must have been obvious, because when he passed Raven in the halls she wished him 'good luck'. The red head was lounging in the conference room. On the door was mistletoe.

Taking a deep breath, Robin swallowed his fear and walked forward.

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Next chapter: #11


	93. Number 11 Beast Boy doesn't do boats

Author's Note: It's finals week! I'm gonna be a senior in college soon...what?! Also, I'm getting a new fish on Friday. A new one-shot will be out this month. Read and Review :)

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Cyborg didn't panic often. He liked to think he was pretty level-headed, even if gel-head thought otherwise. However, that idea had been thrown out the window twenty minutes ago as Cyborg sped into an abandoned parking lot. He didn't bother about being gentle with his car, the only thing he could focus on was his shaking friend in the passenger seat and how big of an ass he was. He would never have done this if he had known. Without thinking, Cyborg sprinted over to the passenger side and wrenched open the door. Briefly, he debated calling in the others.

Taking one glance at his buddy, Cyborg scratched that idea. He had caused this mess, and he would be the one to fix it.

"Hey, hey. Look at me ok? I just need you to calm down a bit; I don't think you want to add passing out in a parking lot to the things we've never done before, right?" Cyborg was still pretty tall, even crouched down in front of the changeling, and he alternated using his hands to rub his back or simply keep the guy in place. Beast Boy looked ready to fly off at any minute.

It was supposed to be a relaxing day. Cyborg hadn't thought anything bad would happen; he'd gotten them both tickets to a boat cruise, so that they could see some of the tourist sights. What happened instead was Beast Boy looking like he was three seconds away from a panic attack.

"I'm fine." Beast Boy's voice shook. Cyborg gripped both of his hands.

"Liar. Look, we can debate this after, but just calm down, ok? You're paler than normal, grass stain." Cyborg had no clue how fast this day had done to hell, but he was going to try his best to fix it.

Beast Boy nodded, and it took a while, but he finally calmed down. Cyborg sat both of them on the pavement. Beast Boy leaned against him.

"You wanna tell me what happened back there?" Cyborg asked.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" Beast Boy seemed keen on avoiding the androids eyes.

"B, you nearly had a panic attack. I need to make sure you're alright." Cyborg couldn't think of a reason for this. Beast Boy never had a history for panic attacks, so he was clueless at the moment.

"I don't like boats."

"I think we've figured that out." Cyborg said as he started playing with the hair at the back of the changeling's head.

"Look, I don't talk about this, so just let me get this out then you can make all the comments you want, ok?" Beast Boy didn't like coming off as demanding, but Cyborg figured he would know why soon enough.

"A boat accident happened when I was younger and since then I can't go on boats." Cyborg frowned.

"Was this with the Doom Patrol?" Beast Boy looked down as he shook his head.

"Before I met them, Cy."

Cyborg could tell that he wasn't going to like what he heard next. None of them talked about before they got into the crime fighting business.

"Who was it with then?" Cyborg finally asked. Beast Boy was focusing pretty hard on his shoes, and Cyborg didn't care that he pulled him closer until he talked.

"My parents died in a boat crash. That's why I don't go on them." Beast Boy whispered. They didn't say anything; what else could you do in that situation?

"I'm so sorry, B. I wouldn't have done this if I'd known." Cyborg felt completely awful.

"None of the others know," and the silent _please keep it that way_ wasn't missed by him.

"I won't tell the others, B. Not unless you want to." Cyborg hugged him close. "I think boats are off the list of things to do."

"And what if the one of the others wants to do something on a boat?" Beast Boy's voice was tiny. Cyborg shook his head.

"Then we'll deal with it. Not like we haven't skipped out on something before. And this time we have a good reason."

They ended up spending the rest of the afternoon in the parking lot, talking about random things, and not about boats and deceased parents.

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Next chapter: #30


	94. Number 30 Raven hates rock climbing

Author's Note: I know it's not Tuesday, but I'm on summer break so I plan to get as much writing done as possible before senior year (and my thesis) swallows me whole. I always figured the team would go on little adventures and get competitive. Also, I got a beta fish. His name is Argent. Read and Review!

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Each month they decided, as a team, to pick a place in the city for a team bonding exercise. It wasn't needed; they'd been friends for over three years at this point, but Robin was always falling into these bonding ruts and the others just went with it. This time they had decided to try out one of the newer rock climbing areas. Robin was excited, as was Beast Boy, but the other three were skeptical. Cyborg had no clue how he'd be getting up the cliff side, and Raven wasn't thrilled of trying to find tiny holes to grasp in order to advance.

Finally the day came. Robin had them up bright and early. Some of them were still half-asleep, Starfire and Beast Boy, and Raven wasn't a morning person. In the front seat Robin and Cyborg were discussing something, but it didn't interest her. She focused on the scenery outside and when he was awake enough to form complete sentences, Beast Boy. Starfire was asking a bunch of questions; Cyborg managed to answer all of them, and those he couldn't he put off for later. The park only had a couple other cars in the lot this morning.

Cyborg walked to the main office to get their tickets and Robin herded the rest of them to get gear. Robin and Beast Boy went through the process quickly; the boys had done this a few times already.

"Why are there so many buckles?" Raven muttered as she tried to attach everything without clipping her finger again.

"So you don't fall." Beast Boy said cheerfully. Raven glared at him; for someone with no caffeine in their system, he was too awake for nine in the morning.

"Come on, let me help, you're gonna hurt yourself again." Beast Boy told her.

The changeling moved quickly, fingers flying over the buckles, adjusting the straps and making sure everything was set. When he was done, Raven felt like she was going into battle.

"This seems a bit much." Walking felt funny; the straps hugged her waist tightly and it felt like she was being slowly constricted.

"It's to make sure you don't fall." Beast Boy pointed out. They waited off to the side as Cyborg fixed his straps and Robin checked Starfire's gear. Soon they were all set and they headed off to one of the carts that would take them to the site.

20 minutes later they were starting up the rock wall. Robin and Beast Boy were already half-way up, and Starfire was behind them. She and Cyborg were still on the ground.

"So, how you wanna work this?" Cyborg asked. He didn't look too pleased at this either.

"Are you two coming?" Robin called down. The boy wonder was smirking. Raven narrowed her eyes. She wasn't about to let a stupid rock wall beat her. She started to pull herself up the wall, ignoring the snickering coming from above her. When she finally caught up to Beast Boy, she was covered in sweat and two seconds away from swearing.

"Having fun?" Beast Boy had no right to smile like that.

"Loads of fun. I can't contain my excitement." Raven hissed. She reached for a finger hole, one that was too far away, and she ending up falling down a few feet. She let out a loud curse as she climbed back to her original spot. Far ahead of her, Robin was laughing, and Cyborg had joined in.

"What's the matter, Raven? Too difficult for you?" Robin teased. Raven sent him a glare that would have scared the pants off Slade.

Thus began a competition between the two to see who could reach the top first. They both started at the bottom, and soon the other three were dying of laughter from the insults and swears coming from Raven. For a girl who never swore, so took to it quicker than any sailor. Sometimes Robin would tease her, waiting until she was right next to her, before sprinting ahead. This set off another round of cursing. By this point, the other three, helped by Beast Boy, had already made it to the top. They were enjoying this too much to move on to the next course.

"It isn't this ******* difficult!" Raven exclaimed. One of her fingers was bleeding and the entire back of her head was drenched in sweat. All she wanted was to reach the darn top of this course and go home. Beast Boy shot her an encouraging smile, but she was sure the look she gave him looked more like a grimace.

"Getting tired there, Rae-Rae?" Robin was causally resting against the rocks, not a single hair out of place. He had too big of an advantage for this; he must have gone dozens of time before this with Beast Boy.

"Don't call me Rae-Rae," Raven hissed as she pulled herself up. "The next time you do that, I'll remove your kneecaps." Robin laughed and climbed up a few more inches. Raven got some good distance in, but when she reached for one of the finger holes, she lost her grip where her foot was. She slipped, and lost a good foot from where Robin was.

She knew it was stupid to get angry. She never got this competitive, but all she could think about was having a good old fashion temper tantrum.

Of course, what came out instead, was another round of swearing as she started again.

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Next Chapter: Number 43


	95. Number 43 Beef Jerky

Author's Note: Here's some BBxCy action. Also, it's May. Isn't there supposed to be sun and warmth at this point? Nope, cus we get rain. Read and Review!

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Cyborg loved his jerky. Didn't matter what type it was, just as long as he could enjoy it. He had a stash in the garage, kitchen, and his room. On occasion he would share it with Robin, or let Starfire try a flavor that she was curious about, but his best friend wouldn't touch the stuff. Beast Boy would eat dairy products if he wanted and consumed enough vegetables and fruit for everyone on the team, but he never ate meat. Generally, it wasn't a problem; Beast Boy had good self-control, and if got to be too much, he just went for a run or something.

But today, Cyborg knew his buddy had to try it. The newest flavor was some sort of island blend, full of spices he couldn't name, and it was heaven. It would be a crime not to share, so, clutching his treat in his hand, Cyborg went looking for his friend. He and Raven were on the couches. Raven was flipping through her book and Beast Boy was going through a level on one of the older games. Had Cyborg been paying attention, he would have noticed his best friend's posture change slightly and Raven eyeing him from her spot.

"Got something for you to try, B." Cyborg cracked open the bag, his mouth watering at the smell, and Beast Boy leaned away.

"No thanks, Cy." Beast Boy leaned away from his friend. Raven wasn't even paying attention to her book before.

"Come on, you'll love it."

"Cyborg, I really don't want any." There was an edge to Beast Boy's voice that hadn't been there in a long time.

"Just one piece, man." Cyborg reached into the bag and grabbed one. At this point Beast Boy jumped out of the couch and practically fled the room.

Cyborg watched him go, but when he made a move to follow, Raven forced him back to the couch with her magic. The older teen wasn't having any of that.

"Let me go, Raven." Cyborg ordered. Raven shut her book with a snap and leveled Cyborg with a glare.

"Cyborg, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Cyborg let his surprise show; Raven didn't swear ever.

"I didn't do anything. B left, now let me go so I can find him!" Raven leaned back and crossed her arms.

"Cyborg, really think about what you did." Raven stated. "Think long and hard about what just happened."

"Beast Boy got up and left."

"After?" Cyborg frowned.

"After what?"

"He left after you did something. I know you're smart Cyborg, figure it out." The android thought for a moment and then it hit him.

Beast Boy didn't eat meat. Ever. And Cyborg had practically tried to shove it down his throat. Raven, seeing that he finally figured it out, released her hold on him.

"Oh, god, I'm an idiot." Cyborg groaned as he let his head fall into his hands. Raven shrugged.

"About this, yes, but you usually aren't. Beast Boy just didn't want to take any chances." Cyborg looked up as he waited for her to go on. "Look, Cyborg, look at all the animals that he has in his arsenal. What do they have in common?"

"They're all predators."

"And they eat?"

"Meat." Cyborg said. Raven scooted over to him.

"He doesn't like to have the temptation in front of him. He can control his instincts pretty well, but if it gets too much, he just leaves."

"How'd you learn so much? I'm his best friend and I don't know any of this." Cyborg felt awful about this situation.

"It's Beast Boy. He's good at keeping anything important a secret." Raven stood up and began walking out of the room. "My advice to you is to talk to him when he gets back." Cyborg slumped into the couch, fighting back the urge to go after his best friend. It wouldn't have mattered anyway; Beast Boy could outrun him even if he caught up. Cyborg went and got rid of the jerky. He'd lost his taste for it. Then he plopped down on the couch and waited for his friend to come back home. Several hours later, Cyborg was notified.

"I'm sorry for earlier. I'm an idiot, and a crappy friend, and I know that you don't eat meat, and I'm sorry!" Cyborg usually didn't ramble, but the guilt of this afternoon was eating him alive. Beast Boy sat down next to him.

"It wasn't you fault. I never told you why."

"Raven explained it to me. I still feel awful."

"I don't like talking about it. But you need to know, so listen, cus I'm not explaining it twice." Beast Boy said seriously. Cyborg listened closely. "Yes, I ate meat before. Yes, it tasted good. No, I don't plan on doing it again. It takes a lot to keep all the hunting and predator instincts in check and if I let them slip a bit then it'd be harder to control."

Cyborg thought about that for a moment. It made sense; like Raven said, most of the animals Beast Boy used were carnivores.

"I'll tone down the meat, buddy." They argued about stupid things after that, and when Raven came back, they were battling on the Xbox. And if Robin found all his jerky in the trash the next day, then he didn't ask.

Cyborg enjoyment of the treat had drastically decreased.

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Next Chapter: Number 59


	96. Number 59 Robin and the 80's

Author's Note: Only 4 more chapters to go! Also, two of my friends are graduating with their BS tomorrow! AOG will be updated tomorrow as well :) Read and review guys!

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Robin wasn't sure when it started. It could have begun around the time he finally caved and allowed Cyborg to get him an Ipod for Christmas. He had a couple of songs on there, but he never really got into them until he was doing a few chores around the tower. _Beat It_ was a good song to jam out to, especially when he was annoyed at something. Michael Jackson had some good ones, but that one was his favorite. Several weeks later he found some old gift cards and downloaded a few albums. Unsurprisingly it was all 80's themed.

At least no one could fault him for his music choices; Beast Boy had a much weirder taste than he did. He never played his tunes with the others around him. He'd plug in his headphones and listen while he was typing reports or training. If they were going on longer trips he would take it out, but only if he knew that the others were asleep. They had a habit of taking one ear bud and listening in. Robin was certain that he wouldn't be mocked, much, for his choices but he wasn't about to take any chances.

The jokes about his use of hair gel were still being used.

It still shocked him that Raven found out first. He'd been listening to _Livin' on a Prayer, _probably a bit too loud, and he nearly jumped a foot in the air when he turned around and saw Raven standing in the doorway.

"Interesting song choice." Raven commented. Robin pulled the headphones out and turned off his device. He gave a sheepish shrug.

"I just like the beat it has."

"I'm not going to judge you about music, Robin." Raven walked in and easily pulled a few file folders out. "But, here's a few songs you should check out."

Raven stole the pen out of his hand and pulled off one of his post-it notes. She jotted down a few song titles and then gave him back the pen. Robin was staring at her with his mouth open. Raven shut his mouth with her finger.

"Don't look so shocked. I listen to music too, dummy." Robin looked at the paper.

"But, how do you know these songs? Aren't these outside of your usual song preference?" Raven rolled her eyes.

"Not really. I listen to whatever comes on the radio. Plus, living next to Beast Boy has its perks; he listens to anything really."

Robin laughed at that and let Raven go do whatever she had to do. He got a few more files done until he started to get hungry. The tower seemed calm today, but Robin didn't trust it; there was always something going on, even if he didn't notice it right away. The kitchen was empty, but someone had left the radio playing some music on low volume. Robin changed the channel to a random station and then set out to make himself some lunch. He didn't notice when he started humming along to the tune.

It was one by Duran Duran and Robin sang along to the lyrics under his breath. He found some rice and chicken in the fridge and started heating up a pan. As he worked, Robin got progressively louder. By the time the song had ended and another one began to play, another 80's classic, Robin was singing out loud. The boy wonder was not aware of this, and even less aware of the crowd he was gathering. Cyborg had intended on getting a few games in before training, but this was much more entertaining.

Soon he was joined by the others who couldn't help but stare as their stern leader belted out the lyrics to Blondies _Call Me._ Raven seemed to take pity on him at some point and coughed when the song was done. Robin spun around, kitchen knife still in hand, which had all of them ducking. Cyborg shot a glare at the empath; all of them knew not to sneak up on each other. Robin could feel his face start to heat up, but he just put the knife down and turned down the volume on the radio system.

"What're you guys doing?"

Cyborg laughed as he moved into the kitchen and grabbed a soda from the fridge.

"Well, we were enjoying the free show until Raven ended it." The purple haired girl rolled her eyes as she took her seat at the table.

"I was doing everyone a favor. No offense Robin, but you're singing voice isn't the greatest." Starfire chuckled at the pout on Robin's face.

"It's fine, Rob. Raven just doesn't like all the noise." Beast Boy passed a bottle of water over to Star and then perched on the far end of the kitchen counter.

"I don't like your noise."

Robin checked his food before he turned back to his teammates.

"That's it? That's all you got?"

Beast boy shrugged. "Cy's got much better blackmail stuff to use. This was just for show."

"Didn't know you were such an 80's buff, man. That why you don't let anyone else listen?"

Robin rubbed the back of his neck. He wasn't sure why he didn't share it; he was expecting the endless jokes, but clearly he was wrong on that idea.

"Just didn't think about it, I guess."

"Show us your playlist later, I'm sure we all could give you some more stuff to put on there."

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Next chapter: #78


	97. Number 78 Starfire & knitting

Author's Note: Only 3 more chapters! A one shot will be out then it's time to work on some bigger ones. TLT will also be finishing this week :) Read and review guys!

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Starfire had really discovered the joys of knitting by accident. It was a how-to in one of the junk magazines they always got, but she was interested, so she went out and got some supplies and began to learn. Her first attempt was a disaster, but the second was a little better. She got a thrill out of picking out the different colors and types of yarn, and it got even more fun when she was able to make hats, scarves, and even blankets! It was around Christmas when she got really good at it. So, she made a plan that year: she'd make something for each of her friends and surprise them with it!

Picking out the type of yarn to use had been a challenge; each of her friends had a preference. Raven liked the heavier type of yarn, one that would keep her warm. She also liked the comfort of the weight an article of clothing had. Robin enjoyed something that wouldn't scratch his skin, and Beast Boy preferred something softer. Cyborg liked to keep things light and didn't want anything that came from the heavier types of knitting material. Keeping this all in mind, Starfire set down the aisles with the determination she would use in battle.

It took a while, but she finally found something for each of her friends. She stashed the bags in her closet, confident no one would look in there. In her spare time, she was working quickly on her projects. She knew the others were hard at work as well; Robin had covered up some boxes once when she came into the file room, and even Raven was being extra careful not to give anything away this year. Starfire paid close attention to the deadline for her projects to be completed.

She finished Cyborg's first, and then Beast Boy's second. She had to redo Raven's since she miscounted the number of rows she needed, and Robin's gift had her using more material then she thought. But, two days before Christmas, she finished them. In the end, she had a new hat with earflaps for Cyborg, a blanket for Beast Boy, mug cozies for Raven when she wanted tea, and gloves for Robin. The others loved their gifts and from then on, whenever it was a special occasion, she made each of her friends something. Valentine's Day they each got some new scarves and Saint Patrick's was hats.

It wasn't long before the ladies at the craft store knew her by name and starting setting aside yarn for her to buy when she came in. She soon cleared out a drawer in her room so she could store her materials, and one year for her birthday her friends all chipped in and got her a sewing storage kit that was three feet tall, plenty big enough to hold anything she needed! She started to try different things to create. Tea pot covers for Raven; the ones for the coffee pot never fit right.

She made a matching set of pillow covers for Cyborg so he would be more comfortable on the charging table, and she even made gloves for Beast Boy; she had to look up how to attach leather patches at the ends of the fingers so that he wouldn't tear the yarn with his claws. She started trying her hand at embroidery, but that often left her frustrated. The needle was much smaller, and she usually pricked herself with it, and that left her moving her box of band aids closer to her bed for easy access after this.

It became pretty well known around the titan circle that she made some damn fine stuff (Cyborg's words). She would make something if it was a birthday, or they got a new member. Nothing big, but a small memento for them to enjoy. She took enormous pleasure in seeing her friends enjoy the gifts she gave them. When they took another trip up north where the snow was, she was delighted to see that nearly every winter article she knitted was packed. Sometimes she had to repair them, but that was an easy fix and she never minded. The fact that nearly every time it happened her friends looked guilty was enough.

It wasn't long before she could see the items all around the tower, rather than just in the private rooms. Raven kept one tea cozy next to her box of tea in the kitchen, and she frequently saw the blanket she made Beast Boy stashed in the room he claimed when he wanted to draw. Robin kept his blanket around him when he was doing reports in the winter months, and Cyborg adored his bedding set. Starfire knew that her friends all valued what she had given them.

It was often that they had things to call their own, but these had been made by her, no strings attached, and she loved that she had found something like this to give them. Years pasted, and when they started to expand their families, which wasn't surprising, she made stuff for the kids too. Granted, she had to keep updating them, since they all grew like weeds, but it still gave her that glowing feeling when someone would tear into a package and grin when they saw what was inside and what brand new item she made just for them.

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Next chapter: #86


	98. Number 86 Cyborg's New Year

Author's Note: Here's another one! Not as good as I wanted, but oh well. TLT and a one shot will be out tomorrow!

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Cyborg made sure not to spill as he sat back down on the couch. He handed off another glass of punch to Starfire and watched as Robin lost, again, to Beast Boy. The boy wonder had wanted to do a competition of sorts tonight before the ball dropped, and Cyborg, ever the good friend that he was, was more than willing to help him. He had dug out one of the old games, a game that relied on coordination, and if you didn't have much experience playing then it was ten time harder. Robin let out a few huffs of air.

"This is ridiculous! You're only beating me because you've played this before." Beast Boy handed off the controller to Raven, who actually agreed to play instead of watch for once, and got up to get a drink.

"Actually Robin," the changeling's grin was far too cheerful, "I've never played that one." Robin tried to cover up his shock, but Cyborg was laughing too hard for him to believe that he did a good job. "Fine, but don't think I'll lose next time." Raven rolled her eyes and selected the level; it was all based underwater, so the mechanics would be harder to control.

Usually they would have a party for New Years, but the end of the year had given them more headaches than usual, so they decided to have a small party for just their team. The benefit of having other superhero friends was that they could understand when the need for space was crucial. So, they had all helped in making dinner, and then had settled in for a gaming competition before watching the ball drop. Starfire had already planned ahead this time; several blankets and pillows were stacked next to one of the arms of the couch.

The round went on, this time with Robin winning, but he was still far behind the other two boys. Starfire soothed his ego, more than necessary in Cyborg's opinion, but he was keeping his jabs softer tonight. It was a time to be teasing, not unleash the verbal sparring matches they usually had. Besides, he'd already renewed his old tradition and wasn't going back on it now. He kept it simple; if his friends were happy then that was all he wanted. Beast Boy was along the same lines, but for different reasons. Cyborg didn't ask him about them.

Cyborg stretched out on the couch and helped Starfire figure out the different fighting combinations. The atmosphere was calm and easy, no one was stressed about the upcoming month, or about reports and other things like that. No injuries had been logged since before Christmas, and even then, the crime rate was low. It seemed as though even the villains hadn't wanted to waste the effort fighting during the holidays. It would last for long, and Cyborg knew it, but he was going to sit back and enjoy it while it lasted. Things could get crazy after tonight was over.

The day progressed into the evening, leaving all of them in high spirits. Cyborg and Raven were put on the task of figuring out dinner and Robin used some of the downtime to check on the radar system. There hadn't been any calls, and Cyborg wished it would stay that way. Wishful thinking, but superheroes hardly ever got the time to actually enjoy the holidays. After dinner was done, and Starfire convinced them all the watch the ongoing shows in Times Square, Cyborg took an evaluating glance at his friends. Robin and Starfire were curled up tightly around one another.

Beast Boy and Raven were trying to appear normal, but they were defiantly getting closer on the couch. It was fine; the other three had thought something like this was happening, but didn't say anything, choosing to let the pair tell them when they were ready. The next couple of hours passed by quickly, all of them singing along to the songs they knew and chatting during the ones they didn't. Starfire asked a bunch of questions, most of which he or Raven answered, and then it was time for the New Year to be brought in as the countdown began.

Cyborg allowed Star to put a silly hat on his head, and began to countdown allowed with Robin. He wondered, briefly, what this year would entail. New relationships (most likely), fights (for sure), and any other things that could happen. He'd learned not to try and peg down things he couldn't control and just stuck to the ones he could. Like watching his friend's backs, keeping them happy, making sure he did his role as a big brother justice. He'd never had a chance back with his folks, and now he had four people under his watchful two eyes.

When the ball dropped, they cheered. Robin and Star kissed, no surprise, but he didn't miss the look the other pair was giving one another. Cyborg was willing to bet that by the end of the month they would let it be known that something was happening. But, Cyborg wasn't in a rush. He was just going to let it happen and roll with everything. He had great friends, a pretty cool job, and a whole new year to set the record straight. As they all drifted off to sleep, Cyborg couldn't care less about the future: he was happy now.

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Next chapter: 93


	99. Number 93 Beast Boy & Books

Author's Note: Only one more left! Weird to think that this will be completed this week. Read and Review!

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He never really considered himself a big book reader. Beast Boy could do mission reports in his sleep, could translate something if needed, but reading for the fun of it had never really impressed on him. When he was first learning how to use his powers his shelves were filled with dozens of animal books. He still had a few in his room, but it was mostly for updated information. If anyone were to ask if he had a favorite he'd pick the Animorphs series. Cliché, for sure, but there was something cool about reading a story with fictional shifters and seeing how someone else might interpret it.

For Christmas one year Raven got him the entire Harry Potter series. He had never read them, to the great shock of Robin and Cyborg who did, and when he asked Raven about it later, she told him it was because if anyone would enjoy a book about magic (and other magical creatures) it would be him. He ended up finishing the first book that week, the second following by the end of the month. And while he thought the characters and creatures were cool, he still wasn't sold on the idea.

The books in other languages were another matter entirely. When he first came to live in the tower, he only had one book in a different language. It was one from Africa, which felt like such a long time ago, and he took great measures to ensure that it stayed intact. The whole plastic covers and everything. The others might have connections to their old lives, and he guarded his with everything. With the way his life was going, it was unlikely he would be going back to his favorite country for many years. Hence the urge to safeguard it.

Sometimes the urge to curl up somewhere and not stare at a screen would prompt him to grab the nearest book and disappear for a few hours. It wasn't uncommon for him to pick a spot on the rafters in the garage, or his little spot on the shore. By now the others knew that these were his spots and typically left him to his own devices. There were few times that he was still for so long, so his friends took advantage when it happened. Beast Boy would finished a handful of chapters, maybe get a quarter of a way through a novel, and then leave it for the next time.

He'd sometimes stay with Raven, reading over her shoulder, or if she was in a good mood, she'd read aloud. Her choices were much different than his own, not that he had much to begin with, but he never said anything about it. Raven had a stronger love for the printed words then he did. He might ask questions if the subject was bugging him enough or offer some comment if he wanted too. Raven didn't yell at him for these; she was curious as to what he thought.

A year after getting the first complete book series, Raven got him another one. Game of Thrones was on an entirely different level than what he was used to, but the plot points drew him in enough that he was reading a few pages each day. Later, when he found that Cyborg had begun watching the show, he wondered if that was the reason for him getting the books. Not that he cared; he could go through them at whatever pace he felt like, and no one was there to yell at him for how he went about it.

The only type of book he could read through in one sitting was one that wasn't in English. The easiest to find in Jump were ones in French, so most of his shelves were full of those; sometimes he'd find one in German, but those were rarities. He once asked Raven, but she had been so shocked by his question that he never got an answer. The ones he loved the best were the ones from Africa. Swahili was the first foreign language he ever learned, and even if he didn't need it, the dilate meant a lot to him.

Sometimes the group would talk about what they would do when they got done with crime fighting. He and Robin shared a lot; both of them had come from fighting backgrounds, so it was unlikely that they would ever be done with this job. But, he humored them, and said if he ever did retire, which was, again, highly unlikely, he'd go back to Africa. He liked Jump, and he'd done his share of traveling, but the hot continent was part of his first memories. Some of the best memories he had, really. That was where he wanted to be.

But for now he had to be ok with what he had. So, when those kinds of thoughts came into his head, he would go off to his room and pull out the one book he had left. After finding a place to hide for a few hours, he'd go through the pages, the native tongue coming back easily, and all of those worries would go away. The others never pried into his reasons for why he didn't really get books. Beast Boy didn't really go into the fact that it wasn't the books he had a problem with.

It was the words in it.

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Last chapter: #100


	100. Number 100 Happy Ending

Author's Note: Here it is, the last chapter! This collection has been a blast to write and I can't believe some many of you enjoyed it. So, enjoy the final chapter of this collection!

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It was a sad fact that many in the crime fighting business lived past 30. It was even sadder that most of these people died before they hit 21, but it was even rarer that an entire team would survive to retirement age. Richard, formerly Nightwing and still going by Robin more than anything, was looking around the room. Vic was on the patio, arms around Lisa, his girlfriend for four years. The two had met at a fundraiser and hit it off. Within that same week the two had begun to date and were still going strong as a couple.

They had to be taking some pretty big steps soon; Vic had announced a few days ago that Lisa would be moving in. A bunch of laughter had him looking out past the patio and onto the yard. Gar was running around with his kids, little Evie who was a sure spitfire, and Huru, who was trying to keep up with his tiny legs. Raven was watching from her lounge chair. The pair had adopted just over a year ago; that process had been hell, and the others had waited with bated breath to know if the adoption had gone through.

He had done pretty well for himself as well. Three years ago he had finally asked Star to marry him, and a year after that their little girl came along. Robin wasn't a person who bent for people, but the little girl, who looked so much like her mother, had him wrapped around her fingers before she could talk. Now he could understand when Raven would tell him how Gar always gave into the whims of the kids; those big eyes just pulled you in. It was a good thing that the kids all got along, but dangerous when they wanted something.

Shockingly enough, when they all retired, the press seemed to leave them alone. Occasionally, one of them would be called out for some mission or for a consultation, but other than that the original group of titans was left alone. That was fine with them. They all seemed to find their own little area of entertainment. Cyborg ran a small garage and Gar helped out with an art program. Robin had gotten involved in some charity work in Gotham, but that was about it. Funny, how the things that once defined your past were the simplest to let go.

A few times a year they would be separated. Lisa had family in Seattle, so Vic would go with her to visit, and Raven and Gar would be gone a few weeks while they went to Africa. Star talked about going to visit Tamarin, when their daughter was a bit older, and Robin was all for that. They saw some older honorary titans once or twice a year; Garth was still in contact with them, and Jinx and Wally popped in from time to time. Each of them was moving out of the crime fighting aspect and into the normal world.

There were some harder spots to get through. Vic had been contacted by his father for the first time in over a decade. Steve had reached out in an effort to fix his relationship with Gar. Even Bruce, who had taken a backseat to many things in Robin's life since he became a titan, was slowly trying to reconnect. The three of them were all on different pages with those situations, and many nights they would stay up talking about it. Vic seemed to be making the most progress, but whether it was due to Vic's own wishes or Lisa's wasn't clear.

Shaking his head, Robin got off his butt and joined his friends outside. Vic and Lisa said hello, and Robin sat down on the deck next to him. Gar hadn't noticed him yet, too focused on what Evie was saying, but he eventually came over when the kids went off to play on the little jungle gym Vic put together. The backyard had everything they could need; a decent pool, playscape for the kids, and lots of yard to run in. Starfire had a flower garden growing in the back, and Raven was winning the battle to include a gazebo this summer.

"They finally tire you out?" Lisa joked as Gar sat down. The green man laughed.

"Nah, they just wanted to play another game of spies and said that they needed to make a secret code. Parents aren't allowed to know, apparently." The screen door opened and Robin turned to see his wife and daughter come out. Star's hair was up in a ponytail; his daughter was wearing a shirt that said 'My daddy knows Batman!' a gag gift from Roy last Christmas. He reached out for his girl and Star obliged him.

"Someone finally woke up." Robin pressed a kiss to her head and she squeal in delight. She hadn't started talking yet, but Robin knew that if he let her down, she'd take off running the second her feet touched the grass.

"She missed you, and it's nice to be together outside."

Robin only had to glance around, looking at the kids in the yard, the happy smiles on his family's faces, and the relaxed atmosphere. The wind chimes on the porch rang from the breeze, and the hanging plants on the rail swayed lightly.

They'd all got damn lucky to end up with this.


End file.
